Separate Paths
by Onshu Bastille
Summary: Several runaway shinigami decide to create their own separate group against the wishes of the Gotei 13, while a separate entity with some connection to Ichigo works in the background. Some language and definitely some violence and a lil gore.
1. Sunrise and its Shadow

SUNRISE AND ITS SHADOW

"Rain…" The rather tall man spoke to himself. He sat fairly still on the steps of the building with his hood keeping his face well hidden. The rain he spoke of fell endlessly in the night air. No one walked the streets that night, not even if it couldn't be helped. "…So depressing…"

All the drops of rain formed a sort of ocean in the darkness. Other than the dull concrete of the buildings and the occasional street light, the blackness and the ocean was all that existed.

Now, if only that were true…

The quiet giant just watched as the white masked monster across the street jumped from rooftop to rooftop. It definitely wasn't site seeing… It was running away, trying to escape. As what was obviously the aggressor closed in on it, the monster turned to fight back. The attacker, an orange-haired shinigami, easily dodged the pathetic thing's first attack and with a quick counter-strike, ended the masked monster's life.

"Nice job… Kurosaki…" The rain hid the man well.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo took a moment as the Hollow vanished and let the rain hit him a little. Something didn't seem right, but suddenly a second Hollow lunged from nowhere in a savage roar. Before it even realized that the shinigami knew, the world had gone permanently dark—darker than the night. With that, Zangetsu was replaced on his back, fully wrapped.

Ichigo was more than ready to get out of the rain. It wasn't a peaceful rain or a peaceful night despite appearances. The whole past week had been rainy, which also led to most of everybody being sick but this particular night had something strange hidden in it.

A whistle managed to break through the rain to Ichigo. Down below, a familiar face stood there with an umbrella to protect his striped bucket-hat. Ichigo jumped down to him; Urahara Kisuke wouldn't have bothered the substitute shinigami for nothing.

"Nice night for a walk, huh?"

Kurosaki gave him an annoyed look but Urahara just laughed, "Oh my… The rain has even washed humor away." Ichigo's face turned serious as he waited for reason of the store owner's visit.

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" He finally said, lowering his hat slightly.

After several moments of silence Urahara finally spoke, "Something kind of sad about this rain, dontcha think?"

Ichigo crossed his arms, irritated, thinking that he could have been home and dry by now. Before Ichigo could retort, Urahara continued, "How's everyone?"

"Small talk… in the rain… please have a point…" Ichigo whined. He already wasn't that fond of rain but tonight was… different. This rain was eroding something that didn't need to be eroded.

"Come now, Kurosaki," Kisuke continued with his fan hiding his grin, "as depressing as this rain may be what if it was your _last _rain? Hmm?" Ichigo gave a quick snort.

"Now _that's _a depressing thought," Ichigo stated, still disheartened by the rain.

The two continued walking for some time until finally—and randomly—Urahara spat out "Down to business!" He then immediately closed his fan but kept it in hand for further gestures, "The Soul Society has picked up some odd readings—nothing to worry over just yet, but to be on the safe side, they've sent Abarai to help."

They continued down the empty streets, through the ocean of rain.

"I have already informed Rukia. As a matter of fact, expect _her_ to get the signal if it seems like it's whatever the Captains are worried about," Urahara immediately stopped and turned to face Ichigo, "Don't expect too much though, most likely it's post-war paranoia."

There was a silent pause as the rain ate away at the substitute shinigami's mind.

"If it's nothing to worry about… then why…" Kurosaki started calmly before exploding, "why the hell did we take this long freaking walk in the rain! I could have been home, dried, and asleep by now!" Ichigo's vein pulsated while Kisuke returned his fan to his face.

"Up," the store owner said. Confused, Ichigo looked up to see, of all things, the sign for Urahara's shop but just barely due to the rain. "Wha—What!" Ichigo yelled as Urahara's umbrella disappeared and the water pelted his orange hair.

"Thanks, Kurosaki!" The store owner called out while waving innocently from halfway in the front door, "It would have been a very _dreadful_ walk by myself! Anyways, you should get out of the rain! You'll catch a cold! Good night!" And with that Urahara retreated fully inside as the infuriated Ichigo ran to the door. After several failed attempts to open the door, he began to bang on it.

Suddenly, the door flung open, so fast that Ichigo was still beating where it used to be—which was now replaced with Tessai shot across the assistant's glasses.

"Go home," were his only words. Ichigo jumped back with a salute, "Hai!" and took off. As he ran away, Kurosaki murmured to himself, "asshole could have gave me the umbrella at least…" Dying to just get home, Ichigo flash stepped with the occasional curse.

The rain continued uninterrupted.

Tessai slid the door close and informed Urahara that Ichigo had left. "Thank you so very much," Kisuke fanned himself, "now then, I do believe I have a guest to entertain."

The store owner made his way to the back of his store.

* * *

In the store's basement, there was no rain. It was the same as it always was… except for the hooded giant standing in the middle of the empty chamber. He was still soaked from the outside world.

"So this is where you were hiding," Urahara fanned himself without looking at his guest who mimicked this absence of acknowledgment. The two of them were looking in the same direction, but he seemed to be just "looking at" the vast room.

"I wouldn't call it hiding…" He spoke in a powerful yet restrained voice, "…more like… site seeing…"

The former captain couldn't help but smile at the remark as he fanned.

"Didn't want to say 'hi'?" Urahara closed his fan with a flick of his wrist and turned to face the opposite direction as the giant. The man only stood there silently.

"I see…" With a pat on his guest's shoulder, the store owner made his way to the exit, "This rain's got everyone down…" He only took a few steps before stopping and looking back.

The giant hadn't moved more than an inch. "Abarai will be here soon, so if you—"

"I should leave… Just in case… Besides, I don't need to meet any… unnecessary people…" The stranger interrupted and turned to face Urahara before walking towards the exit as well.

Just as the two lined up, Kisuke placed a hand on his guest's shoulder.

"Don't worry, the sunrise will come, my friend…" The store owner said in a very wise manner. There was a long pause, and he finally returned his hand and let his guest go.

As he walked away, the giant murmured, "Let's hope so…"


	2. The Renegades

THE RENEGADES

In a dark, secluded, and abandoned mansion, four silhouettes were hard at work preparing some portal with a fifth one sitting off to the side. The dim light dancing around its curves revealed that this fifth was a woman. She had the posture of a princess waiting for her subjects to return, all the while holding a grin of pure malice intent. Suddenly the dusty room exploded to life from the blinding azure light, putting out the few candles that were originally lit.

There was a short chuckle that seemed to almost stiffen the air. "Well done everyone," a few claps followed the woman's voice. "Now the real fun begins…"

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya didn't waste any time walking into the Captain Commander's office but he did make it seem like a calm stroll. Only Yamamoto was waiting for him which came as a slight surprise but nothing worth dwelling on. Before the Captain could even make it halfway into the room, the Commander began, "Kuchiki, I'm sorry but there isn't much time. I need you to go to the North Gate." Byakuya just stood silently and continued to listen without making any expression, "There's a group that seems to only want to _discuss_ things…" Yamamoto looked down for a second then back up.

"And it would be nice to end this _before_ it starts… peacefully…"

"Understood," Byakuya turned to walk out and just as he reached the door, the Commander threw in one more request: "Flash step please… "

Captain Kuchiki stopped and looked back, "Before they do something less than desirable?" A nod was his only answer. Byakuya disappeared instantly.

* * *

The wall began to fall throughout the Soul Society just as a bright flash of light blinded all nearby. When the light had vanished, there were three individuals that weren't there before—two men and a woman. All the nearby souls either ran off or hid where they could. In front of them, the guardian took his position to deny the newcomers, flaring his nostrils once to send help send the message.

The three walked in a position that made it clear that the guys were to protect the girl. Both of the men wore a white coat, but otherwise the similarities were absent. One had shorter hair, brushed to one side, covering one eye as well as a distinct look of cold hate. His coat was also tattered, ultimately shortening it to the point that it only covered a small portion of his sword tucked underneath. The other man's hair was much longer than most and covered his face almost completely; he was carrying two swords though, one tucked under his coat like the other guy and one slung over his shoulder. It was obviously the girl's sword that was over the one guy's shoulder; after all it would have been a sharp contrast with her dress that seemed more fitting for something like a formal dance.

"Do it," The female chuckled with a slight nod toward the man in the tattered coat. Without even a slight change in his facial expression, he continued forward while the others halted in their walk. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword firmly but also artistically. The guardian readied himself for what he was simply not ready for.

A gentle breeze blew by as the stranger spoke in a very cold tone, "Kill us both, Hanuke."

* * *

The request to use his flash steps to reach the gate quickly, created a slight curiosity in Byakuya as he closed in on the Northern Gate. Then there was the fact that the Commander sent _him_ of all people to be the escort. Added on top of that, the reiatsu he was feeling was definitely that of a shinigami.

Just as he reached the gate, there was a spike in the reiatsu and the sound of something slamming against the gate… then another slam… and another… and then one last bang…

Byakuya couldn't help but feel a little curious now as to just what his job was at this point. Then before he could do anything else, the gate slowly rose. The man in the tattered coat was holding the gate open with both hands over head. There was no scratch, just that unchanging look.

Both of the others casually walked past the gate, but the one would not move from under the gate.

"You are here to see the First Captain, correct?" Byakuya asked.

The girl smiled wickedly, "Why yes we are."

There was no change in the Captain's visage but then he further quizzed the intruders, "Deserters, I see. Carrying Zanpakutos… forcibly entering… so are you against us?"

The female gave an evil laugh, "Let's hope this won't end _that_ badly…"

There was a pause until Byakuya broke the silence, "Follow." The girl and the guy with two swords started to follow but the one holding up the gate never moved and Kuchiki stopped and spoke over his shoulder, "All of you." The man did not move, and the Captain turned to the stubborn runaway. Neither one's facial expression changed.

"Think of it as our escape plan in case y'all try something funny," the girl used her finger to wave the point as if it was truth. Then there was yet another breeze.

"How… insulting…" Byakuya started but turned to see someone walking up.

"Hey! Kuchiki, have you seen Yachiru?" Kenpachi Zaraki asked upon reaching an audible range. He didn't seem to have taken any notice of the intruders.

Byakuya gave him that same expressionless look he gave everyone else, "I have not Kenpachi. If you don't mind…"

The Eleventh Captain glanced over at the other three with little interest. Then Byakuya made himself clear, "If you all do not follow, I will be forced…" His hand slid over to his sword. Kenpachi seemed confused but then once he saw the stubborn face on the one holding the gate up, he understood.

"Kuchiki…" Zaraki half-whispered just before exclaiming, "What are you waiting for!" During which, he delivered a horizontal slash to the stubborn runaway's torso to finish this quickly. Blood was slung and continued to drip out afterwards, but the man stood his ground without so much as even a flinch.

The blood-thirsty Captain couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. "Kuchiki…" He turned to face his fellow Captain, with an expression of joy, "Go ahead, I want _this one_."

Byakuya stared back for a moment but then spun around, "Fine." The three began to walk off and the Sixth Captain's curiosity grew at the realization that neither of the stubborn one's companions made any disagreement.

While the three walked off, getting farther and farther, Zaraki's smile seemed to grow larger and larger. "Why don't you let go of the gate so we can have a real battle?" But the man only continued his look of cold hatred. The Captain laughed and slashed three more times in quick succession—one for each arm and another across the chest. Blood came once again without any response from the bleeder.

With a laugh, Zaraki sat down in front of the man and closed his eye, "Then I will have to wait, eh?" There was no response from the other, even as the blood slowly oozed from his cuts. "What's your name?" Another breeze, shorter than the previous ones blew by, and the silence continued. Zaraki opened his eye to meet the intruder's.

"Kobayashi Goro… former Eleventh Division…" The man in the tattered coat finally spoke with a cold tone to match his gaze. Kenpachi just smiled a little as Goro continued, "Just before you arrived, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki…"

The Captain lowered his head a little to hide his grin of the irony. "Too bad," he said.

* * *

The rest of the world looked so much more interesting then this side of the window to Kurosaki Ichigo. School had a way of dragging itself out even when Ichigo wasn't in a daze but today was worse for some reason. The rain hadn't let up since the day before and even the sun was slightly annoyed.

Ichigo took a chance to glance around the room, and he found nothing interesting in everyone being where they were supposed to be. Rukia was writing or drawing something as Ichigo wondered at how long it would be before she would return to the Soul Society now that everything with Aizen was settled. As thoughts took tangents to other thoughts, Ichigo found himself worrying if she would even come back. He allowed a quick frown but then shook the thought away.

A vibrating noise began going off and after a moment Kurosaki realized it was Rukia's. She immediately threw her hand up to be excused, giving Ichigo a look that he understood well. As she ran out, Ichigo thought about how hunting Hollows had become much less difficult lately; however, it did have to be done.

When his badge didn't go off as well, he reasoned that it must be whatever Urahara was talking about.

* * *

_It would just have to do_, Ichigo thought to himself as he locked the stall door that housed his body. Hopefully, no one would disturb his body in the bathroom…

Rukia was waiting for Ichigo outside when he exited the building as a shinigami. "There's five," Rukia, in her shinigami form as well, stated just as Ichigo reached her and without wasting time, the two took off.

"Five? Has more than one ever been a good sign?" Ichigo half sighed.

No one could see the two of them as they ran across rooftops and jumped superhuman distances, but for the sake of mental health, this was probably a good thing. "Hiya," was Abarai Renji's only introduction as he joined the sprint from nowhere.

The rain still fell and still bothered Ichigo.

As they closed in on what seemed to be a playground, the five Hollows could easily be seen attacking something below them. There was a little ghost girl hiding under one of the larger pieces of playground equipment as it was being slowly cut open by the Hollows' attacks. All three picked up the pace on their sprint.

Suddenly there was a flash that stopped the shinigami's desperate run, and the Hollows let out a sort of painful scream. Once the light was gone, the ghost girl could be seen running off, but there were no Hollows left to follow her. Now there were two other guys standing on what the girl was hiding under.

The trio could feel the strong, and somewhat familiar, reiatsu coming from the two. "Oh dear, we've been spotted," one chuckled.

"Wasn't that your plan?" the other replied.

"My, my… Am I so transparent?"

As the rain cleared the dust away and sight came back fully, the group got a good look at the strangers. Both wore white coats, one shorter than the other. The longer one also didn't have a left sleeve, and the owner had his sword strapped to his right arm for some odd reason. His hair was pretty messy and mostly a bright red but with distinct black strips throughout. The owner of the shorter coat held his sword in his right hand and an odd glove with extended talons covered his left. The strangest thing about him though was not his one strand of disobedient hair but the fact that he had three eyes.

The three eyed one propped his sword on his shoulder and tilted his head, revealing his wide grin. All three had noticed the swords already and were all wondering the same thing. Rukia asked for the group, "Zanpakuto? Shinigami?"

The three eyed one laughed and lowered his sword, "That's correct Kuchiki Rukia…" She couldn't help but gasp at the realization that they probably knew all about all three of them and they didn't know anything about them. The three eyed stranger then closed his eyes and his reiatsu rose slightly.

"Well, what should we do?" He asked.

The other one started, "We should just le—"

"I wasn't talking to you, my friend. We know what _you_ think we should do," Suddenly all three eyes shot open and another voice that wasn't his said, "kill." Everyone gasped at the both the use of the word "we" and this new voice. Someone else was there… but where?

Before anyone could do anything else, the strange shinigami made a savage lunge screaming, "You read my mind!" Everyone knew that while the two weren't pushovers, they wouldn't be overly difficult to beat; however, they still needed to figure out who they were and prepared to block the aggressor.

His attacks were seemingly endless and beyond fast, but they were obviously restrained. His attacks resembled an almost savage dance, like the man was having fun.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji exclaimed with a swing that forced the stranger to retreat.

"Niiiiiiiice!" The stranger responded once he had his footing again, along with a thumb up from his gloved hand. Renji couldn't shake the feeling that he knew both of these shinigami.

"Who are you bastards?" Ichigo demanded.

The three eyed one laughed, "Okay, okay… I'm Shiraga Yamato."

The other gave no emotion to his words, "Murakami Izo."

Then it hit Renji, "Runaways!" He suddenly remembered both leaving in the middle of the night just before he joined.

"Correct, Abarai! We left the Sixth Division right before you joined." The trio began to see the seriousness of the situation increase.

Renji smirked, "What's the matter? Couldn't handle the pressure?" Izo flat out ignored the remark but Yamato immediately became tense. This comment seemed to crawl under his skin, and he didn't like it. He stabbed his zanpakuto into the ground with a very serious visage. Everyone prepared to dodge but he only pointed at his third eye.

"Know what this is?" The shinigami just stared. "How about this?" He continued, holding up his taloned glove. No one responded. "These come from a Hollow… that dwells within me..." The trio weren't that surprised, having known Vizards themselves but something seemed different about what he was referring to.

"I was to be executed for _rescuing _this Hollow," Yamato continued calmly only to burst out screaming again, "But enough chit-chat!"

"Yamato! The others!" Izo yelled to his ally.

Yamato closed his eyes and his reiatsu began to rise steadily. "Do what you have to but leave Abarai for me," He opened his eyes with an evil grin. Renji shared a grin with his soon to be opponent.

"Don't beat up on him too badly," Ichigo chuckled with a pat on Renji's shoulder.

With a turn to leave, Izo waved good-bye and via Flash Step vanished off to a distant building with a "Later shinigami!" Rukia and Ichigo took off after him, hoping that they could somehow miraculously catch up to the runaway.

Yamato's grin widened and as he grabbed his Zanpakuto, he spoke, "Bring tears, Kanayama-Hime"

* * *

As the Captain Commander's doors opened, Kuchiki led the two renegades inside and shut the door. Yamamoto was waiting patiently behind his desk. "Captain Kenpachi is with the third at the North Gate," Byakuya calmly informed the Commander who only nodded. There was a rather long pause while he examined the two ex-shinigami.

The First Captain broke the silence with a soft laugh. This only really bothered the girl in the group who asked, "Just what's so funny?" There was only the two Captains in the room, but they were more than enough.

"Oh, I think you know… Takahashi Asako…" The girl almost gasped but then she realized that she was bound to have been recognized eventually. He gave another chuckle and continued, "I thought the point of running away became counterproductive if you returned?" She only replied with a smirk.

"That's a very impressive Reiatsu, my dear…" Then Yamamoto noticed the other guy and threw in, "Forgive me if I can't remember your name as well." Almost as if waiting for that very sentence, the intruder quickly stated, "Hayashi Naoya, previously from—"

"Eighth Division," Byakuya interrupted unchangingly, also known as the Desert Rose."

"Now, now, Captain… These are our guests… for now…" Yamamoto half-laughed, "So Takahashi, why have the renegades returned in such a manner?"

She grinned wickedly and slowly made her way to the Captain Commander. Byakuya had been ready for the two to attack since they entered the office, but he knew that he would have plenty of time to stop any type of foolish attack.

What seemed to be a rolled up paper was thrown onto the First Captain's desk and as it magically unrolled, Asako revealed, "We just came to make sure you understood us."


	3. The Baboon King

THE BABOON KING

"After _reason_ is blamed for _cause_ there becomes a need for _motive_ to prevent _effect_ from ending even worse and causing a new _reason_…"

The man sitting in the abandoned mansion looked out the window and watched as the morning was lost in the rain. One could barely see that it was a man at all sitting there in the dark, except for his eyes—a bright, almost glowing, yellow.

"Grieve in the rain? Maybe just a bit longer…" The giant answered himself, "Defend those I've rejected? No… never…"

* * *

Yamato and Renji flew away from each other just as the rain began to lighten. Yamato stood as if he forgotten about the fight already and just stared up at the rain. Renji stood ready to strike but could tell his breathing was already becoming difficult. Shiraga closed his eyes and his reiatsu rose slightly.

"A fan of the rain?" Abarai broke the silence but there was no response. Irritated, he clenched his fist, "Hey, I asked if—"

"I heard you," Yamato said calmly but then he opened his eyes and seemed almost mad, "and no I pretty much _hate_ the rain!" He watched several drops hit his odd shaped zanpakuto and grinned. "

It's just that, since it lightened up, your chances of beating me have been significantly lowered."

He let out a crazed laugh and lunged for an attack that Renji easily blocked. The runaway then tried again but once more was denied, but on the third try, managed to cut the lieutenant's shoulder slightly. Yamato jumped away, obviously satisfied with the tiny cut.

"What? That's it?" Renji smirked, "It's gonna take a little more than that."

Shiraga just maliciously grinned. Zabimaru was quickly shot forward but Yamato backflipped onto its spine and took off at full speed. The redhead shinigami tried to counter this approach by attempting to swing his shikai somewhat but the other used his weight to jam the blade into the ground. Yamato then began randomly stabbing at Renji's face while he dodged helplessly until finally five slash marks ripped through the flesh on his face. The ex-shinigami then proceded to jump overhead, delivering a kick to the back of Abarai's head which sent him bouncing through some playground equipment and into a nearby building.

While it was impossible to see Renji in the building with the new hole in its side, Yamato watched as his opponent's zanpakuto slowly retracted. Yamato chuckled, "C'mon, I know you're—" His words were cut off as he side-stepped Zabimaru's attack. While it was fully extended, the runaway took his chance, seizing the blade.

Renji was still hidden in wrecked building but not for long as he was yanked out and flew towards his foe, helplessly through the air. Shiraga had yanked the sword with his taloned hand, but he held his sword ready for the kill stroke in the other. As Abarai's helpless body flew towards the other sword, he knew that that would be the end and decided to use his own predicament against his opponent, clenching his fist.

Just as the two met, Yamato release the sword and blocked the other's punch with his left hand only to continue with his "kill stroke". The attack was so fast that the shinigami barely saw it, but he could feel the massive amount of reiatsu in it.

There was a small gasp for air as the zanpakuto went through Renji's body.

* * *

_Faster. Faster! Faster! Why is he so much faster!_ Ichigo began to get a bad feeling about the runaway they were chasing. Rukia shared this same worry in her facial expression. The question on both of their minds was: _Just where's he going?_

Though the rain had lightened up a tiny bit, it still depressed Ichigo. Rukia had noticed this earlier in the week and tried to help but could do nothing. No one knew what it was about the rain, not even Ichigo.

Up ahead, the two shinigami made out the figure of someone waiting. It was Izo, and he had one of the most innocent smiles going from ear to ear. He made no movements as the two came closer.

Pretending he was looking at a watch on his wrist, Izo half-laughed, "wow, you guys are all kinds of slow. I coulda been to the port—_there_ and back by now."

"And just where the hell _are_ you going?" Ichigo spat.

The renegade gave a chuckle, "Gotta get a couple of friends… they're rather helpless without me…" And again, he wore that smile.

Ichigo and Rukia prepped themselves; he was far too happy for someone in his position. This ex-shinigami also seemed to be a key player for something too. "So are you gonna give us answers or should we skip ahead to the part where we beat it outta ya?" Ichigo asked in a very irritated tone. Rukia at first seemed concerned but then noticed that Ichigo's reiatsu began to climb. For the time being, she decided to follow suit.

"First you must ask these things called _questions_," Izo mocked, "but since I'm kinda running low on time, I'll save you the trouble and tell you that not only am I NOT gonna answer any question… I'm not gonna be beaten either…"

"Two against one… Not exactly nice but hey, we tried," Ichigo smirked.

"See neither of you can beat me, because you're just not powerful enough… But alas, I can't beat either of you either…" Both of the shinigami held their shikai, ready to attack. "…however, that's just 'cause of my _nature_."

Immediately, Ichigo and Rukia exploded at Murakami who only murmured, "idiots". The two swords only cut air as they banged together where the runaway used to be.

Izo stood behind them while their backs were wide open and… nothing… He just stood there as they fell forward, catching themselves to retaliate for another lunge. He didn't even seem to plan on drawing his zanpakuto. This was not good, the two reasoned.

Both began to pick up the pace along all the while increasing the power of each swing.

"What the hell are you?" Ichigo exhaled throughout his endless attacks.

"Apparently a target you can't hit," The renegade chuckled. The two shinigami became more and more infuriated. It didn't seem like they would be able to hit this guy.

There was a moment of fresh air as Izo Flash Stepped away from the clash with that same, innocent smile, "I'm—we're the runaways, renegades, deserters, whatever you wanna call us…" He then bowed and the two just stared at him, waiting for the real answer. As he raised back up, he continued, "Just don't think of us as evil… well most of us anyways… Some of us simply didn't _fit in_ with the rest of the shinigami…" That part seemed to sting him a little, Rukia noticed.

"Wha—" Ichigo started to speak, only to be cut off by an innocent "buh-bye!" The runaway then vanished via shunpo. Both Ichigo and Rukia searched for his reiatsu but found nothing.

"Dammit!" the orange-haired shinigami yelled out to the rain.

* * *

Renji was scared to open his eyes and see the wound. He was more than positive that the blow was meant to end this battle quickly. His body felt so cold, so weak… yet something seemed wrong…

Hearing Yamato walking his way made the redhead's eyes open instantly. It would take more than one of those attacks to stop him. Slowly, the shinigami rose, his hair no longer pulled back.

"What a sorry excuse…" He spat out with a grin, "…for a killing blow."

Shiraga stopped, seemed shocked by the remark, but then he started laughing madly and lunged at Renji who barely blocked the swift attack. The two slid slightly through the mud as all three weapons locked together. The renegade leaned in slightly and whispered, "killing blow? No Abarai… No, that was just my shikai's ability."

The two shot apart, one laughed, the other was confused.

The redhead felt his torso and looked down with a gasp—there was no cut. It didn't make sense; he saw the blade as it went through him. Was it an illusion? But then why did he feel so weak?

"Wanna know the secret?" Yamato smiled, holding his odd zanpakuto out and before any reply came, he continued, "Basically, it's able to 'ignore' the material world… Meaning, I can use it to attack the soul directly… like so…"

Without any other warning, the runaway vanished and reappeared behind Renji who barely had enough time to turn as his reflex tried to block the attack. This time he saw it clearly—the sword went through Zabimaru as if it was just an image and then it continued its downward path through the shinigami's body. Immediately, he felt weakened as his soul took such a heavy attack.

There was a cry of joy as Shiraga cut several more times through Abarai's soul before the lieutenant finally managed to force the three-eyed menace to back off with a wide swing of his sword. Renji knew he couldn't let the ex-shinigami continue to do such damage to his soul.

"There's no helping it," Renji exhaled before taking off. Yamato watched curiously for a second or two.

"Running away, are we!" The renegade called out after the sprinting shinigami who only replied with a "Catch me if you can!" and while he watched the redhead running off, he began to wonder what was in store for him.

"Shall we?" The runaway said to himself before disappearing.

* * *

Rukia and Ichigo had continued in the same direction that they were originally chasing Izo in the hopes that they would pick up his reiatsu along the way. It was as if he had vanished completely.

"It's no use Ichigo," Rukia finally said out loud what the two had been thinking the whole time

Ichigo slammed his fist into the sidewalk he was kneeling on. This rain was killing him, not only was it getting to him, but it was also making everything else get to him.

"Ichigo… You wanna talk abo—" Rukia started only to be interrupted with a raised index finger. Kurosaki wore a very serious visage as he looked over at the smaller shinigami.

"Listen Rukia, I don't know what it is about this rain that's… that's got me down…" He said very calmly as he thought through it. Neither knew what to say as the rain continued to drizzle.

Suddenly, both turned rapidly towards downtown and took off without wasting another second. "Hold on Renji," Ichigo murmured to himself as he ran.

* * *

Thankful that the rain had lightened up somewhat, the redhead lieutenant jumped from rooftop to rooftop with the occasional glance back to see if his opponent was following. As expected, those three eyes were never far behind, but he seemed to be enjoying the chase. This was good news but Renji still cursed himself for underestimating Yamato for so long. If he had know about his shikai's ability, the battle would have been done ages ago.

The original idea was just to leave the playground area for a larger arena, but then what Abarai realized was that he didn't necessarily need a "bigger" area, just a different one. There was a grin on his face as he closed in on a rather tall building. It was by no means the tallest, but it was fairly isolated for its height.

"Oh come on, man!" The runaway yelled, "Just accept that I'm like _a hundred times_ better than you, and I'll make it quick!" The insane ex-shinigami smiled like a little child at the thought.

"Screw you, Three Eyes!" Renji taunted as he began running up the side of the building. Yamato flash stepped onto the side of the building, just a little below but stopped moving.

"Okay then…" He whispered to himself as he closed his eyes, raising his reiatsu slightly once again. Immediately, Zabimaru slammed into his chest and pushed him down the entire length of the building. His eyes shot open and his breath was squeezed out upon contact; he couldn't even mutter a quick curse before being slammed into the cold cement down below.

Abarai continued upwards with the now retracted zanpakuto and dived onto the roof. Down below the three eyes opened with a new found blood-lust.

"I think that it's about time you…" The crazed runaway whispered softly as the rain tried to wash the debris off his face before he screamed, "**DIED!**" He exploded, sending pieces of the sidewalk and glass from the building's windows everywhere as he soared up the side, after his enemy. The other voice that had been silent this whole time chanted "kill" repeatedly all the way up.

As he flew to the top, Yamato managed to hear the words, "hikotsu taiho" early enough to just barely miss the bulk of the blast—it grazed his left cheek. While rubbing his cheek, the renegade got a good look at the giant bankai, Hihio Zabimaru.

"Aw dammit," Yamato spoke again childish as he crossed his arms, "Couldn't have someone mentioned that he had a freakin' bankai!" Renji couldn't help but grin.

He then closed his eyes and his reiatsu had a slight increase but the giant snake forced Yamato to flash step out of the way. Now, he wore a very serious visage.

"The fight is over, Abarai," That serious look didn't seem to suit him but upon closer inspection, one would find that it wasn't seriousness… but fear…

The lieutenant was confused but still managed to smirk. He would not let him escape, he thought as he sent Hihio Zabimaru once again. The scared runaway could dodge fine but he was never given an opening for a counter-attack.

"You don't understand…" Yamato spoke in between flash steps, "I'm leaving!" Out of nowhere his odd shaped shikai, Kanayama-Hime, flew through the air towards Renji. The redhead's bankai repeatedly tried shielding its master, but the zanpakuto continued its course uninterrupted until finally passing through its mark. The sword's master appeared on the other side and grasped it, ready for one last stroke.

Renji felt so weak, like he would simply fall apart. He cursed himself, Hihio Zabimaru was too big of a target for this; all of the times the shikai passed through his bankai… the soul couldn't take much more…

Zabimaru returned to its shikai form as the Baboon king stood there silently. The rain began to pick back up, and it sort of felt refreshing to the shinigami.

"This Hollow, specifically this third eye," Shiraga explained, "could be thought of as a super computer. It takes in all the information stored in my mind and calculates a percentage of survival."

"So you can see the future?" Renji asked as he closed his eyes, "No wonder I couldn't get you…"

"It's not fate… It's no more than odds… Granted, very accurate most of the time but it's only based off what I know… Had I'd known any of you had a bankai, we would have never had fought… I chose to fight you Abarai… because at the time, my odds were best against you…" The runaway smiled at the sight of Renji hearing this. The redhead clenched his fist. "However, once the odds were calculated for your bankai… I had no chance on in confrontation and had to escape… But I did something… Let's say, _out of character_… I attacked!"

The crazed renegade showed his insanity on his face once again at the thought of this seemingly extraordinary change, "I went against all odds and did the unexpected!"

"Unexpected, huh?" Renji's voice became soft and somewhat stoic as his zanpakuto returned to its unreleased form. Yamato couldn't help but grin, couldn't believe that he won… He prepared for the final blow. Abarai Renji did not move a muscle as the rain tried to drown him.

And then it was over…

His sword was hilt-deep in that third eye. Blood mixed with the rain as it oozed out while the runaway breathed his last.

The lieutenant twisted his zanpakuto so that it faced up and with one quick flick, sliced a new path to free his blade. Yamato's corpse helplessly dropped as the steel was ripped from his head. Renji then fell to his knees and then to the side, laughing. His body was weak and felt like it was trying to force him to sleep.

As his eyes slowly closed, he barely made out the image of someone rather tall walking towards him. He couldn't make out who it was and passed out before the stranger reached him.

"Ichi…go…" Renji whispered, mostly out of hope.

"Not quite," The giant spoke to the unconscious shinigami.


	4. No Pain, No Gain

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

"You make me seem _so_ important," the blue haired teen yawned as he ran his fingers through his hair. He leaned back on the bench so he could feel the rain on his face. Closing his eyes, he thought about how the rain felt so good… it felt like it washed everything away…

The giant just stood there, his face hidden under the hood.

The boy opened one eye to look at the odd stranger. "What's your name?" A smile widened across his face as he watched the man think to himself. Not many enjoyed his natural gift to read people but it was very handy for someone as useless as himself. It was his only advantage.

"You can call me… Sensei…"

* * *

Kenpachi hadn't moved and neither had the sturdy renegade as the gate loomed overhead. The captain looked up at Goro, more than a little curious as to his purpose. It couldn't be as simple as holding the gate up until his comrades returned… or was it?

"Hey, how strong are you exactly?" Zaraki questioned with a grin, eager for battle.

"Strong enough," was his only reply along with a thin smile as he added, "and no matter how many times you cut me, I will not fall."

With an evil laugh, the Captain lunged at the helpless runaway, hoping that his words were not misleading. Attempting to cut Goro in half, Kenpachi unleashed a powerful vertical slice only to have something stop it.

In front of him, a red headed man—in a similar coat to the runaway's—used his sleeveless arm to block the vicious blow. A thin line of blood streamed down his arm, and the Captain's height allowed him to see the eyes on the other side of the arm—they were a golden amber color and burned like fire. Zaraki decided to hold his sword where it was in the hopes that the new guy would give a counter attack. As he just stood there though, it became clear that there would be no counter attack.

"What's wrong? Surely you can do more!" The blood thirsty shinigami yelled as he slid his jagged blade free just before swinging again, only to hit air. Goro watched as Izo used shunpo to escape the barbarian's attack but knew that the red headed renegade would never return the favor even though he was just on the opposite side of Kenpachi, with his back to him.

The Captain swung around, aiming for the head only to miss due to a well placed dodge. This led to an almost game of seeing who would tire first as Kenpachi swung faster and stronger with each blow while Murakami continued to dodge, seemingly effortlessly. After several minutes of playing this "game", Izo safely flash stepped several feet from the other.

"Kenpachi," The newest intruder spoke, "I'm gonna have to ask you to not attack my friend." The Captain eyed the runaway's zanpakuto strapped to his right arm and wondered if wearing it in such a way allowed him to draw it faster. He decided to test it.

"Well that kinda depends," He grinned, "Are you stronger?"

There was a twitch in Izo's eye and Kenpachi immediately knew the answer.

"I am—" He started before having to dodge a horizontal slash; in the middle of the black flip, the renegade flash stepped away once more, even farther this time. "I will not fight, not for you… not for anyone…"

Ignoring the one holding the gate up completely, Zaraki turned to face the continuously fleeing ex-shinigami. "So you fight for yourself?" The Captain laughed, "Here's a secret for you: If you don't start fighting back, you're gonna—"

Goro had a hard time keeping up with Kenpachi's impossible speed, almost missing his entire transition to behind Izo. "DIE!" The battle hungry shinigami yelled with a powerful, diagonal strike.

"Fly about, Kurotsubasa."

Grinning like a madman, Zaraki took note of his jagged blade, stopped by a large wing-like shield gauntlet on the other's left arm. He began to apply pressure, sensing all the reiatsu coming from just the shikai. This renegade was _very_ strong… Kenpachi could sense it…

"Hit me!" The crazed Captain yelled, applying even more pressure to the unmoving wing. "Hit me!" He repeated, a little louder this time. He couldn't understand it, this guy felt like he could at least get off a good hit or two. Those eyes of his still gave that death glare as the fire burned behind them.

"Dammit, would you just hit me! Hit me! Hit me! Hit me! Hit me! Hit me! Hit me! HIT ME!" He screamed at the ex-shinigami while constantly hitting with powerful blows, but each attack merely banged and slid harmlessly across the blackened metal.

"I refuse to fight anyone, for any reason," The red headed runaway half-whispered. This statement bothered Kenpachi, causing him to retreat for a moment to let it sink in. He remembered how Ichigo was reluctant to fight at first but eventually did, but somehow this guy didn't look like he would compromise.

"Captain," Kobayashi called from under the gate. Zaraki propped his sword on his shoulder and turned to face the ex-shinigami. "He won't fight… not even if his life depends on it…"

"Besides I have a job to do," Izo's wing-like zanpakuto spread its metallic "feathers" and a sword slid out to reveal itself. Kenpachi could barely contain his enthusiasm as he suddenly charged at the supposed pacifist only to find his opponent with an equally large grin. "Later, Kenny!"

Izo made a swift horizontal slash in the empty air, well before the Captain had reached him. It was like he wasn't even trying to hit him, Kenpachi thought to himself as he closed the gap between the two. Just as he reached it, reality seemed to rip open right where the renegade slashed, and the tear revealed a dark world that Zaraki was helplessly swallowed by.

The renegade started to sigh but his breath was cut short by a hand grabbing his throat from inside the tear. "Come on, coward!" Kenpachi laughed, pulling the other into his own world just before it closed.

Unable to do anything, Goro just stared on from where he was. He admitted to himself that he was worried about Izo… for the first time, he may have to fight back…

* * *

"No," Yamamoto-Genryuusai slammed the end of his staff down to make his decision known.

Asako's face twisted into a combination of being offended and fear for what the Captain Commander's next orders would be, but Naoya made no gesture to reveal his thoughts. The self-proclaimed renegade leader began to smile as if to cover up her original expression, she needed to keep her cool.

"Maybe you didn't—" she started before the staff hit the floor once more to cut her off.

"The answer is 'no' and to continue any further with this _nonsense_ will be deemed as treason and will be punishable by immediate execution!" The word "nonsense" rang throughout Asako's head painfully, while Naoya took more notice of Byakuya drawing his zanpakuto. It wasn't hard to see that the Sixth Division Captain wanted the renegades put down, but he would not unless his Commander instructed him to.

Takahashi lowered her head and stared blankly at the ground as if she hadn't expected this. Curious as to what the runaway thought would actually happen, Kuchiki studied her carefully. Shortly thereafter he realized that she wasn't just staring in horror… She was counting down…

Then out of nowhere the ex-shinigami slammed her foot down and pointed at Yamamoto like a sulking child, "We will do what we please!" She smiled as the Captain Commander opened his eyes ever so slightly, "And there's nothing you can do about it…"

There was an uncomfortably long pause as everyone waited for something to happen.

"Very well," was the only answer given by Yamamoto-Genryuusai as he nodded to Byakuya. The Captain immediately used shunpo to close in on Asako but his blade was stopped by another but not the runaway leader's.

Naoya held his sheathed sword in place with one hand and used his other hand to hand the other zanpakuto to the girl. For the first time, his eyes could be seen, giving him an overly enraged visage.

"Scatter—" Byakuya started just before the air above the two suddenly ripped open, and another renegade, by the looks of his coat, jumped out. The first tear closed just as the newcomer landed on Naoya's and Byakuya's crossed swords, causing the two to separate. Using his black, wing-like gauntlet, Izo sliced another rip in reality right through the other two ex-shinigami.

The three disappeared into the portal before Kuchiki could retaliate; he didn't even have time to pursue before it closed. Then he remembered Asako counting and reasoned that they had planned this…

"Execute them on the spot before they can do any actual harm, Kuchiki" And with his order, the Captain vanished without a word.

Yamamoto gave it a few seconds before calling out, "You may enter."

The door slid open and in walked a fairly tall man wearing the traditional shinigami outfit with a tattered coat that resembled a Captain's, only without any number on it. The irises of his eyes were yellow and faintly glowing, his blonde dreadlocks were no longer than the Eleventh Captain's but sort of slicked backwards.

"It seems that you have proven to be telling the truth," The Captain Commander spoke calmly, "You have my word that no more than those you specified shall enter this conflict."

* * *

Goro tried his best to breathe.

"Dammit guys…" He began counting to himself with his breaths. The moment he spoke "five" the air in front of him exploded open as the other three renegades jumped out. "Five seconds off, assholes."

"We wouldn't have had this problem if _someone_ could teleport through the freakin' gate," Asako gave Izo a death glare as she grinned, but he simply shrugged and smiled. The three hurried to the other side while their friend could hold it up.

As soon as they were all on the other side, Goro turned his head to make sure it was clear for him to jump backwards, "Finally…" Then they all four felt someone's reiatsu simultaneously, and the sturdy renegade had a sort of sparkle in his eye as he looked at the other three. "Run."

He then jumped forward as the gate dropped, trapping himself on same side with the now present Sixth Division Captain.

"Goro!" Izo screamed as he ran towards the gate in full sprint but couldn't grab it before it connected with the ground. As the runaway began to try to grasp the bottom of the gate, Naoya put a hand on his shoulder to stop him but was shrugged away. A tear could be seen rolling down Izo's face as he continued, unable to get a hold of it from his shaking.

"He's doing it so we can escape," Naoya stated as he reached once more for his comrade who stopped trying all together by this point.

"Bastards!" Izo spun around with eyes drowning in tears, grabbing Naoya faster than the renegade could keep up with, only to slam him violently against the gate and raise a fist as if to punch. "Why the hell do we have to fight! What's the point of fighting! Yamato's already dead! Now Goro wants to die! What's the point of _saving_ all us runaways if we're just gonna die in some master plan that's suppose to _free_ us for good!"

"Izo stop it!" Asako yelled at the ex-shinigami without making any other movements, but he ignored her. "Izo! I'm warning you!"

"You lying bitch," Murakami glanced over his shoulder to his leader, "I already found out your little secret… You're powerless…" He seemed to savor the flavor of the words leaving his mouth, but Naoya looked as though his heart was ripped out. Suddenly, Asako let out a strong burst of reiatsu as if to prove her strength to her comrade; it was easily twice a Captain's level.

"Well… besides the fake reiatsu you can create… you're powerless" He laughed just before Hayashi knocked him to his side and flash stepped to in front of his leader. His face gave an expression of pure determination to protect his master. "Oh, what have we here? Romeo has to protect his Juliet I guess."

This seemed to shock the two also, and now their heads were filled with thoughts, wondering how and when their biggest secrets were discovered. Izo seemed to calm down a bit as he turned away from the other two.

"Don't worry, even if you were my enemies… I wouldn't…" He seemed to lose himself as he spoke. The renegade lovers could see their friend's fist clench as if trying to crush itself. "But goddamn do y'all make it hard."

A tear ripped through the air and Murakami disappeared into it, closing it so his friends couldn't follow.

* * *

Kuchiki stared down at the runaway who seemed uninterested in the Captain and only stared at the gate he dropped. "Run, idiots," Goro whispered. He started examining his wounds as if to see if they were still there.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Pink petals slammed against the renegade's back, slamming him into the gate, but they continued to slice him as he was helpless pressed against the gate. After a few seconds of slicing his enemy thoroughly, Byakuya's zanpakuto returned to its master but didn't reform into the sword and instead just circled around him slowly but elegantly.

The ex-shinigami's already tattered coat fell to pieces, along with his shirt. The seemingly infinite cuts across his body could easily be seen, and his blood formed a fairly large pool underneath where he stood. Unable to take much more, Goro staggered slowly backwards and turned with a quick twist.

Blood was spat out as he was slammed yet again against the gate by the myriad petals. As his body was sliced to pieces, the runaway stared off to the sky in horror until one of the petals took an eye. The deadly petals once again returned to their wielder, continuing their graceful orbit around him.

Now it seemed like the renegade would fall over at any second. Nearly every part of his body was cut, and an abundant amount of blood oozed from his tattered flesh. He struggled to take a couple step forwards before setting his sights on the Captain who just stoically stared at the pitiful thing.

"At least… lemme draw my zanpakuto…" Goro half laughed as he reached for his blade.

Byakuya considered him for a moment but knew that the runaway had no chance anyway. "Very well," He responded coldly as Senbonzakura reformed a sword… One more strike was all he needed…

"Kill us both, Hanuke!" The air around Goro was engulfed in a red tinted burst of energy but quickly disappeared, revealing Kobayashi's shikai. The blade was much wider than a normal zanpakuto and would have easily been longer if it wasn't broken. There was only about a foot left of the blade, and Kuchiki couldn't help but wonder what happened to the rest of it—or if he did that...

"Now, let's—" The ex-shinigami was cut off by Byakuya's shunpo, realizing that the killing strike was coming. The Captain attempted to stab Goro but gasped as his arm was grabbed by his enemy's free hand.

"Do you wanna know my shikai's ability?" He gave a cold glare to the Captain before squeezing the caught arm, instantly crushing the bone. Byakuya couldn't understand it… He couldn't even walk a second ago… "All damage done to me is transferred into pure spiritual energy… Basically, the more I get hurt, the stronger I get..."

Captain Kuchiki's eyes widened as the renegade continued, "And I feel like I could die at any moment…"

When Goro's broken sword hit Byakuya, it seemed to explode with energy as the shinigami flew away, smashing into and destroying a nearby building. The runaway staggered towards the wreckage, still barely able to walk. The Captain looked at his foe as he struggled to walk towards him. _He can barely walk. He won't keep up._

Suddenly, the noble disappeared to behind the ex-shinigami to deliver a quick swipe, mostly to test if he would actually dodge. As expected the enemy couldn't dodge as a new gash slid across his back, but then Byakuya realized that he didn't even attempt to. The renegade spun around in an unbelievable speed with a face twisted in pain, all to deliver a powerful blow that knocked the Captain into the gate with an overly loud thud.

Having just enough time to see the runaway sprinting at him, Kuchiki felt like he saw Goro for the first time. While he looked a beaten dog just trying to defend himself from a vicious attacker, he really was just trying to cause as much pain to himself as he could. _He's planning on taking me out with himself._

Right before the tattered renegade reached his foe, Byakuya used shunpo to create some distance. "Bankai," His zanpakuto dropped into the ground, creating the two rows of swords behind him. Kobayashi immediately tried to close the gap in another sprint, but he was just too far. _So he can't use shunpo._ The swords burst into the cherry blossom petals upon hearing their name, "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

A somewhat ocean-like wave of petals crashed down on Goro, sweeping him away. The attack slammed him into the gate once again, cutting him even more, but this time the runaway sank into the petals, lifeless.

The Captain looked on at his zanpakuto's destruction, unable to see his enemy anymore. "May you finally find comfort in death," He said out loud as he remembered the ex-shinigami's face, contorted in the pain he suffered yet needed to suffer to fight.

Then before Byakuya could withdraw his bankai, the diced body of the renegade started to crawl out from the petals. His other eye was gone, and it was obvious that his legs weren't working as he painfully dragged himself out from the ocean of death.

"It's… not…" Goro didn't even seem like he could crawl a few more inches as he tried to yell, "over…"

Then the Captain's bankai flew immediately into the air as its master appeared in front of the tattered deserter. Pink swords began to circle around the area, "Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Kobayashi's grip tightened on his zanpakuto despite the blood that oozed from his hand. A single blade formed in Kuchiki's hand.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

"Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day," the teen dressed in all black sang under his breath as he walked down the empty street in the rain, "Nah, just kidding rain. Stay as _long_ as you like; you're quite the company."

An odd howl came out of nowhere and the teen turned around to see another teen, female, running from an equally odd monster with a huge white mask. As she closed in on him, he could see that she was waving her arms and yelling something. It wasn't until she was closer that he could make out the words, "Run away!"

But he had never seen someone so beautiful before.

With a quick grab at the teen spacing out, the girl tried to pull him along as to protect him from the Hollow. Instantly, he spun both of them around so that he held her with one arm and his other was outstretched, his index finger and thumb also outstretched to mimic a gun. The girl's eyes widened, thinking they were both dead.

"Bang," Something red and spherical shot out and blasted away a huge part of the monster's face, causing it to disintegrate. The teen held the pose for a few seconds before finally looking down at the girl. His hair was pitch black like his clothes and his eyes were a bright pink.

"And who might you be m'dear?" He asked softly.

"Arisawa… Tastuki…" She replied slowly, lost in his strange eyes. She wanted to say something else, ask his name too, or something but nothing would come out of her mouth. It felt like a miracle that she said her name.

"Call me Limbo," He responded to her unasked question. The answer didn't seem to satisfy but Limbo leaned down and whispered something in her ear that caused her to smile slightly.

Ready to ask an actual question, Tatsuki turned a little to line up her face with his but blushed when their lips connected. The two realized just then that it was still raining but neither moved to separate… they weren't quite ready…


	5. The Hopeless and The Lonely

THE HELPLESS AND THE LONELY

"We can't tell the rest about Izo," The renegade leader spoke softly as she ran her fingers through the other's hair while his hand traced her bare back in a soft rhythm. The lack of lighting in the mansion made it very difficult to see them clearly, but neither wanted anyone to see them right now anyways.

"But the rest of the deserters might wanna know what happened to their _favorite_," Naoya spat the word "favorite" out. Both of the runaways held a strong distaste for how everyone preferred Izo to all the other "Captains" of the renegades. Now that he had run off, it would be hard to convince several others to stay.

"Too bad for them," Asako leaned in for the kiss to change the subject.

* * *

"ICHIGO!" Keigo yelled in his usual fashion as he sprinted at his orange haired friend. The substitute shinigami was too lost in his thoughts to notice at first. _Just where the hell did all the ex-shinigami go suddenly; it's been at least three days since we last saw them._

"I-chi-go!" the hyperactive classmate exclaimed, thinking he wasn't to get close-lined today just before his target side-stepped at the last second. Mizuiro came up about that time to say "hi" as well.

The two watched as their friend slid, face first, some distance. As Asano struggled to pry his face off the floor, the orange haired teen noticed Tatsuki just a little farther down the hall. She leaned up to kiss someone Kurosaki didn't recognize, and for the first time, she didn't seem like the tough girl he knew all these years.

"Who's that, Mizuiro?" the teen asked as Keigo crawled back to the other two. Looking curiously at the unknown teen, Kojima thought for a second, as if trying to remember a name. Tatsuki separated from the guy, walking towards the others while he went the opposite way.

"He's definitely new, but I can't seem to remember his name," Mizuiro answered calmly, "Evidently he and Tatsuki hooked up over the weekend."

_He doesn't really look like her type…_

"I heard he's loopy, like insane and—" Keigo was cut off by a leg rising between his legs with enough force to raise his feet off the ground. As he fell to the ground crying, Tatsuki just stepped over him to continue down the hall.

"He'll be joining our class today, Ichigo," She spoke as she walked past them without any other acknowledgement.

* * *

_Aw man… where do I go? Hey that dude looks like he might know…_

The royal blue haired teen ran over to Ishida as he walked down the hall at a slow pace. He was reading something but the newcomer couldn't get a good look to see what it was. As he closed in, Uruyu closed his book and turned with a very unwelcoming look in his eyes that halfway scared the other one.

"Umm, hi… I'm Kai Eri," He bowed quickly, obviously very unsure of asking now. He handed a paper to the Quincy, "I need to get to this class but have _no idea_ where it is…"

After handing it back, Uruyu reopened his book and began walking again, "Just follow me."

"Ahh, thanks man!" His eyes lit up. _Ha Ha! I knew I asked the right person._

Ishida stopped and immediately turned to face his new classmate with a scowl, "But please don't talk."

"Sure thing," Eri could feel the huge sweat drop at this command. _Maybe I should have asked someone nicer…_

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't help but stare out the window. It was still raining. He couldn't stand much more of this never ending weather; even if it did lighten up periodically, it simply never finished. It was like the sky was trying to drown something.

"Alright, we have two new students today, class," The teacher began to speak as the two she spoke of stood up in the front of the class. "Welcome them as your own, Kai Eri and Limbo."

The two greeted the class and immediately there were whispers about the name "Limbo". Rukia leaned towards Ichigo to whisper, "I didn't know one could use a nickname in class."

"Normally, you can't," Ichigo responded as he saw Limbo's face for the first time. He seemed normal, except for his bright pink eyes; he took note that they matched the single pink gem on his black choker on his neck.

Keigo leaned up out of nowhere to share what he had learned, "He does have a regular name but he refuses to tell anyone… Has something to do with _daddy issues_, but whatever the reason, he was able to convince the teacher to call him by the name, Limbo…"

As Limbo walked towards Tatsuki in the back, he and Ichigo exchanged glances briefly. There was something familiar about his gaze but at the same time, his eyes seemed full of only pure innocence and matched his smile.

While Ichigo was focused on him, Rukia took note of Eri as he walked by everyone else with extreme caution, as if he expected someone to lash out at him at any second. He finally reached a desk right next to her and continued to sit with the same caution he used to reach the seat. His eyes seemed busy as they jumped around everywhere, like they were analyzing everything. After a few seconds, the cautious teen pulled out a cloth from his pocket and wiped the top of the desk before resting his arms on it.

"Hey, nice to meet you! I'm Kuchiki Rukia," She smiled at Kai who smiled back but in a way that seemed almost forced. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that… well, this room is very… germy…" Eri tried to smile as Rukia gave a dumbfounded expression. "Yeah I know, it's pretty pitiful for a shinigami to be afraid of germs."

Trying to regain her balance after nearly falling out of her seat, Kuchiki gave an even more dumbfounded look. "What squad are you?" She asked immediately.

"Oh, I'm not technically in a squad," he half laughed at the thought, "I just finished the Academy… barely finished the Academy that is, and haven't had the chance to pick one, sorta got sent on a mission before I could."

"Ah, well let's just talk about it during lunch," Rukia smiled, curious as to why no one had informed her ahead of time that another shinigami with a particular task was sent to her area. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like it he was another one of the deserters. She would be able to figure out more during lunch she reasoned.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia were the only ones in the empty classroom as they broke out their food; neither had anything special, just the generic lunch. As they dug in, Rukia began to wonder why no one else had joined them yet.

"Hey, where's Uryu?" She asked as she sipped on her juice.

"I asked him to come, but he said he wanted to stay out of this for some reason," Ichigo replied as he leaned back in his chair, "And with both Chad and Inoue sick, that leaves just us I guess to work this out."

"Ah, I see. What about the others? Why aren't they here?"

"What you mean Keigo and Mizuiro? I told them the wrong place so they _wouldn't_ come."

"Ah, okay," Rukia sighed, while it wasn't necessary to send the others away, she figured that Ichigo probably did it to help Eri feel more comfortable. She looked over to the substitute shinigami and nearly gasped at what she saw. He had a faint blush across his face, and he was obviously trying his best to fight it with that usual look of his.

After having her own small blush, the shinigami sat there for a moment, thinking. _No I can't… I shouldn't… A Kuchiki shouldn't act like that… Oh, the hell with it…_

Rukia then got up and walked over to the desk Kurosaki sat in, "What's the _real_ reason no one's here?" Totally lost on what to say, he just sat there, trying his best not to blush even more. Once she reached the desk, she propped her arms on it and leaned in until she was inches away from Ichigo's mouth. Both blushed but neither made a move, "Hmm?"

They could feel each other's breath as they just sat there, frozen in time.

_Oh shit, now what! Should I kiss her!_

_**Gah! King, stop being such an idiot and just make a move already! She's right there ya dumbass!**_

_But… But…_

_**But! But! Goddamn, just kiss her!**_

Before anything else could be said between Kurosaki and his inner hollow, the petite shinigami decided to make the move herself and began to close the gap. The two closed their eyes as their lips parted.

"Um, should I just come back afterwards?" Both Ichigo and Rukia jumped at the sound of Eri's voice.

"No… no… We weren't… I mean… We were just…" Kuchiki finally regained her serious posture with a cough. The orange haired teen just nodded along.

Kai just walked over and sat in a nearby desk—not before cleaning it of course—and began to pull out his lunch from his paper sack," So do y'all know this _Urahara_ dude?"

The two nodded—glad for a subject change—and Eri continued as he arranged all his food before him in an overly symmetrical fashion, "Well, my mission is just to get him to train me."

"What kind of mission is that?" Rukia asked, definitely suspicious now.

"Well, it's not really a _mission_… It's more like I did so bad in the Academy that they wanted to send me somewhere else to train, to someone who _could_ train someone as helpless as me. I just like to call it a mission 'cause it doesn't damage the ego as badly," Eri smiled that same fragile smile.

"You're in luck," Ichigo started, "we were heading to his store this afternoon anyways; might as well join us."

"Sweet!" He continued to arrange his lunch, before looking out the window at the rain. It seemed to create this look of peace on his face, Ichigo noticed.

"You must be enjoying the rain?" the orange haired teen asked, mostly out of curiosity.

With his usual smile, Eri nodded, "I love the way it seems to wash everything away." Kuchiki took note of both of their expressions; one seemed to loathe the rain while the other adored it. It wasn't significant, but it was a little odd.

After that the two watched him eat his food as carefully as he did everything else; it was almost like he didn't want to touch his food. While Ichigo and Rukia continued to eat their lunch, every now and then the two would glance at each other with a faint blush.

Then both Ichigo's badge and Rukia's phone went off.

"Come on Eri," Ichigo said as he popped out of his body.

"Um, what about our bodies? Can't just leave them," the blue haired shinigami stated with a worried visage. It was obvious that he didn't want to go.

"It's close enough that we wouldn't be gone long enough for anyone to notice," Rukia said before instructing Chappy to stand guard over the others' bodies.

With some reluctance, Eri exited his gigai as well, "So how far is it anyways?"

"Well… it's… it's on the roof!" Kuchiki looked at her phone as Ichigo opened a window for the three.

_Into the rain again, I guess._

As the three ran up the side of the building, Rukia examined the new shinigami. His outfit wasn't that different from the standard. With the exception of bandages around his forearms and shins, there wasn't any real difference. His zanpakuto's guard and handle were both a faded black, matching its sheath.

"Eri, you slay the Hollow," Ichigo spoke just before reaching the top. The helpless shinigami's face became fearful suddenly, but Kurosaki looked over with a faithful smile, "Don't worry, we'll help if it comes to it."

Between the sound of the last sentence and his smile, Eri gave his breakable smile.

"But if we do have to help, we'll be pissed," the substitute shinigami chuckled.

Upon reaching the roof, the group immediately noticed the lizard-like Hollow as it ran straight for them. Ichigo and Rukia jumped to either side of the roof, out of the way. Eri pulled out his zanpakuto shakily and held it out in front of him, hoping the sight of the sword would be enough to slow the Hollow, but instead it sped up.

"Ahh, crap," Kai said as the monster reached him, ready to run right through him. The shinigami dived to the side, only to be slammed into the roof by the Hollow's tail. He then lunged upwards, expecting it to be off guard and swung desperately, but the giant lizard was not only ready but the slash wasn't deep at all across its arm.

When its tail came around this time though, the shinigami was ready as he jumped over the low swing; however, this led him to be grabbed in mid-air and crushed into the roof once more. As the blue-haired teen felt his enemy starting to squeeze, he noticed Ichigo beginning to unwrap Zangetsu.

_Great, I have to be saved once again…_

"So weak, shinigami," the Hollow laughed in its odd voice, "Dontcha know? Only the strong survive!"

_Only the strong survive, indeed…_

_**Come on, do you really think that? **_A voice called out to Eri, _**So many nice qualities about you m'dear and all you want is to be stronger. You're immune to all that is wrong, remember? I think you can handle one lil lizard…**_

As he looked around, Eri noticed that the voice wasn't coming from someone else on the roof; it was from his zanpakuto.

_Can I at least get a name?_

_**Sorry honey, not unless you survive this**_, she replied before silence swept over again.

"Fair enough," His grip tightened on his sword; he wouldn't let the Hollow win… couldn't let it win…

And then with a distinct "BOOM" the lizard's face was blown off by a red blast, leaving the rest to disintegrate above Eri. He just looked dumbfounded to the other two as he rose, but they were staring at something else altogether. The helpless shinigami turned to see Limbo and Tatsuki off to the side.

Ichigo took note of Limbo's attire: he wore a tight fitting shirt like Kurosaki's bankai—only it ended neatly just past his sash and it had thumb slots—and both his sandals and tabi were solid black like the rest of his outfit. He also carried a zanpakuto that had an odd shaped guard that was white as opposed to the handle and sheath's bright pink.

As interesting as his fashion sense was, Ichigo and Rukia were more focused on what he just shot to kill the Hollow. Both had their hands ready on their own zanpakutos. As the couple walked closer to Eri, Limbo handed his zanpakuto to Tatsuki who was already holding an umbrella in the other hand.

"Hollows got you down?" Limbo smiled.

"Was that a Bala a second ago?" Ichigo asked with a serious expression. Limbo just looked up at him with the same smile of innocence. Eri just stood still, watching the other new comer with caution.

"Why yes it was, Kurosaki," Limbo started before disappearing with a distinct static boom sound, reappearing just in front of Ichigo, "And that was Sonido, my friend."

"Arrancar," He brought zangetsu down only to hit nothing as Limbo vanished a second time. This time appearing a little ways in front of Tatsuki who seemed more irritated than anything else. Ichigo prepared to lunge as Rukia readied her zanpakuto as well.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not get ahead of ourselves boys and girls," Limbo laughed with a time-out gesture, "I'm not an Arrancar…"

Everyone seemed to pause at this response.

"I'm a Vizard," Limbo smiled, "Well, a little different from Strawberry over here, but a Vizard nonetheless…"

"What'd you mean?" Rukia demanded.

Limbo sighed but then continued, "While Ichigo is a Vizard with more of a shinigami backbone, I'm the exact opposite: I'm more in touch with my Hollow side, which allows me to perform things like Bala and Sonido."

"Then why aren't you with Shinji and the others?" the orange haired teen asked.

"Who? Is that that Captain guy that the other guy turned into a Vizard or something? Mine wasn't exactly a group activity. I was alone in the process if that's what you wanna know…" Limbo laughed as the others' minds went to work, "I guess I'm more like a naturally occurring Vizard."

_**Sound familiar? Eh, King?**_

Zangetsu re-wrapped itself and Kuchiki followed suit. "Well, why didn't you say anything to begin with?" Ichigo asked the Vizard.

"'Cause for _some_ reason, he thought it would be fun to make you think he was an Arrancar," Tatsuki blurted out as she walked up next to him as he smiled. As she handed his zanpakuto back, Kurosaki noticed that he hesitated before actually grabbing it.

"So why are you here?" Rukia asked as they all walked up closer to the couple.

"Well…" Limbo started, it was easy to tell that he really didn't want to share the story because, judging by the change in expression on his face, it wasn't a happy one. "I was sorta alone… During the Hollowification and afterwards… Then I heard about everything with Aizen and Ichigo… And decided I was tired of being alone… Then I met Tatsuki…"

The tomboy tried her best not to blush but failed.

* * *

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Enter," Asako said aloud. The door creaked open and an ex-shinigami entered. He was holding some form of clothes, neatly folded. Once inside he hurriedly ran up to his leader who sat on her queen-sized bed.

"The new outfits you wanted have been completed, along with the Captains'," He spoke, handing hers over. The one that he was wearing was just like the standard shinigami's, only the colors were reversed.

"Ah, yes! It's about time! You've no idea how horrible it is to be seen in the _enemy's_ uniform," She laughed as she held up the white outfit.

"Captain Takahashi, where might Captain Hayashi be? I have his too," The renegade asked, holding out the other set of clothes.

"Oh don't worry about him," Asako smiled, taking Naoya's outfit too, "I'll make sure he gets it."

"Alrighty," The ex-shinigami began to walk out with a final bow but was stopped by Asako.

"If you happen to see Izo, please let me know. He hasn't been back since he went off to do a mission for us."

"Yes, Captain," the runaway replied before leaving the way he came in.

After a few moments, Asako jumped up from her bed, "It's clear." The nearby closet opened up and Naoya walked out and towards his mistress. Without turning to face him, she began to strip away her previous outfit.

"What's the plan there? Gonna try to make Izo look like a traitor?" Naoya asked as he closed in on the renegade leader. He reached his arms around her neck and pulled her towards his chest and began kissing her down the left side of her neck.

"Sure, why not…" She seemed to have forgotten about trying the new outfit on altogether and began to slowly swing her hips against his while his hands slid down her body to her stomach. With her arms now trapped she grabbed his belt to pull him closer as she put more into her hip swings.

"Dontcha think the outfits look a lil too much like the Arrancars'?" Naoya half-whispered. In reality, the only similarity was the coloring; otherwise, it resembled the shinigami outfit exactly.

The girl turned herself around in his arms to pull his shirt off, "So?" Asako grinned as she bit her lip a little. Their lips connected softly, then a little harder, and then their tongues went to work.

"Also, while we're on the subject, we need to do something with me having to hide in the closet every time we have a visitor," He managed to speak between the kisses.

"You're totally right," she laughed before jumping on him, wrapping her legs around his waist, "To the closet, my love!"

"Haven't we already—" He started, pointing at the closet.

"Not this one, you're thinking of the other one," A smile of remembrance widened across Asako's face.

"Oh yeah," Naoya backed into the closet with his mistress wrapped around him. Just as they entered the walk-in closet, the renegade lovers fell down with a crash because of something on the floor, but they never slowed down.

"Tomorrow, we start Step Two," Asako's voice disappeared into the ecstasy.


	6. Evil Doer

EVIL DOER

"Wait, wait, wait… Run that by me again…" Ichigo asked while he crossed his arms, ready to take in everything. Urahara sat across from him while Rukia and Eri sat on either side sipping on tea.

"Basically Kai here, needs to learn his zanpakuto's name to fill in this gap of power he has so that it will raise his confidence high enough that he will actually _want_ to fight," Urahara spoke from behind his fan while Eri frowned. "Until he knows its name, none of us can help him."

Ichigo gave a curious and slightly ticked stare, "You're just trying to get out of this aren't you?"

The shopkeeper stood up and turned to leave, "Now, why would you think something like that?" And he stepped out of the room.

"He hates me, doesn't he?" Eri sulked after hat-and-clogs left.

"Nah, he's just lazy," Ichigo scratched his head, looking to Rukia for advice who only shrugged. "Well what the hell?"

* * *

Limbo was propped against the wall that separated the front of the store from the room everyone else was in. His arms were crossed and his eyes closed, it was quite obvious that he was eavesdropping as his index finger tapped to an unknown rhythm.

"If you want to listen in, there're plenty of seats in the room?" Urahara smirked as he walked past the slender Vizard.

"Nah," Limbo smiled to himself.

The shopkeeper continued without another word just as Tatsuki entered. She carried the teen's zanpakuto and the same umbrella once again.

"Psst… Limbo…" She whispered once close. He opened one eye just in time for her to lean in with a kiss.

"You're pretty crazy, you know that?" Limbo spoke to the tom boy as she smirked.

"Arisawa, you should show him the basement," Urahara called back as he opened the door to step out into the rain. _He doesn't really seem like her type_, he thought to himself.

Limbo looked confused, "Basement?"

* * *

The Sentei Gate closed behind Hisagi, Kira, and Nemu.

Urahara grinned behind his fan, "He should be in the basement. Do be gentle, hmm?"

* * *

"Dude!" Eri yelled out of amazement at the sheer size of the basement wasteland. Limbo's reaction was nearly identical as the other three just snickered.

"Alright, it's time for you to meditate, I guess," Ichigo popped out of his body as Rukia did the same, getting Chappy to once again take their bodies. Kai followed suit but propped his body off to the side himself. He didn't seem overly excited about this but sat down with his sword anyways. Everyone took a seat on a nearby rock, except for Limbo who squatted down only to stare at the blue haired shinigami. He looked like he was studying Eri's every breath.

The other three eyed him curiously before Kai opened an eye and nearly jumped at the sight of Limbo staring at him from such a close distance. The tall vizard grabbed the other one's head and brought it slightly closer, "No pretending, eh? We ain't going _anywhere_ compadre."

Eri whimpered a little. _How'd he know?_

Limbo gave a huge smile and a pat on the head before walking away from everyone.

_Could he really just want to not be alone? I use to be able to tell so much about a person from their smile… How is his different?_ He glanced down at his zanpakuto. _Geez, I'll figure him out later, I guess… priorities, Eri… priorities…_

_**And so the reluctant hero returns and wants some power?**_ The voice came to him once again, _**Honey, I think it's about time we had a chat…**_

* * *

Ichigo glanced over at Tatsuki who was still holding Limbo's zanpakuto. She was examining it as if trying to find a missing piece. Its pink color stuck out more and more it seemed, just like Limbo's eyes. The substitute shinigami wondered what kind of power it held.

"Why do you like carrying around his zanpakuto?" Kurosaki asked Tatsuki, mostly out of curiosity. She looked up towards Limbo who was a fair distance off and still walking. His walk almost looked depressing; his head was down and his hands in his pockets.

"He would just leave it otherwise," She gave a weak smile; "He's not too fond of it."

"Not fond of his zanpakuto?" Rukia asked as if shocked, "How does he expect to fight—"

Limbo appeared right in front of her, leaning closely with a sad look, "Trust me, Ms Kuchiki, if I use my zanpakuto, I've already lost..." And with that he vanished to where he was before, just in time to dodge Tatsuki's kick. Angrily, she looked at the slender teen as he waved without looking.

"I hate it when he does that," The tomboy spoke to herself.

Rukia thought about what he said for a moment but kept it to herself. Ichigo looked over a Kai who seemed deep in his trance, "Think he'll do it?" He could only smile as Limbo—who was still walking away—gave a thumb up.

"His hearing is pretty scary, you know?" Ichigo laughed with a sweat drop.

Suddenly, the ground exploded around Limbo and all three's eyes widened instantly. Ichigo used shunpo, Tatsuki began to sprint off, but Rukia only jumped up. If it was something bad then Eri was defenseless. Someone needed to guard him.

* * *

"So you refuse to come quietly then, Limbo?" Shuuhei pointed his sword at the smiling Vizard. Kira hadn't drawn his sword but was ready to do so while Nemu just stood off to the side. The dust from the explosion began to settle down.

"Nah, I just refuse to come at all," Limbo chuckled just as Ichigo appeared and a running Tatsuki could be seen. "So I'm assuming y'all are familiar, right?"

"Yeah—but.. What's going on?" The orange haired shinigami demanded.

"Limbo is—" Shuuhei started before Limbo used Sonido. He reappeared in front of Tatsuki, picking her up only to disappear once more.

Rukia nearly jumped at his entrance, "What's going on!"

Limbo gave her an odd look, "You know, you sound just like him?" She only stared dumbfounded.

He turned back to Arisawa and leaned in to hug her. With her head on his shoulder he whispered, "You worry too much… I shan't be long." He smiled before disappearing.

Tatsuki gripped his zanpakuto, "The asshole forgot it again…"

"Sorry about that guys," Limbo walked past Ichigo and stared at the Ninth Division Lieutenant who hadn't seemed to have moved. Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu just before his own arm was grabbed. Shocked, he turned around to find the person he least expected.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to sit this one out, Kurosaki," Urahara spoke with his head down. Ichigo gave a look of protest as he continued, "If you don't, I will have to intervene."

The two disappeared with a familiar sound.

Limbo glanced over to where they were a moment ago and gave a quick laugh. Hisagi instantly noticed that his opponent was unarmed, "Vizard, right?" He nodded as he looked back, "Why don't you carry your zanpakuto?"

"Should I?" He smiled wickedly but the others just stared at him, "If you must know, I'm quite frightened of my blade."

"A wise man once told me that that's the reason why one should wield a sword," Shuuhei's grip tightened. It was obvious that he was unsure about attacking someone unarmed.

"Eh, this fear is a little different," The slender teen shrugged. "If you're going to attack me, you should go ahead. Oh and don't worry though, since you know Kurosaki, I won't kill you or anything. It'll be like a game of tag, right?"

Limbo disappeared and reappeared in front of Shuuhei, "Right!" Instinctly, he tried to block only to have his sword catch a fist, but it wasn't enough… The shinigami flew backwards, just as Izuru jumped in.

As the blonde shinigami brought his blade down, Limbo sidestepped and kicked him in the same direction as the other. Nemu just watched quietly from the side.

"Damn," Limbo looked down at the blood on his hand squeamishly. "Well, judging by both of y'all's hesitation at hitting an unarmed target that there's some heart in y'all after all."

He used Sonido once again, appearing in front of Shuuhei but this time with a smile and outstretched hand as if to help him up, "I apologize, Mr Sixty-Nine."

"Rikujokoro!" Kira yelled from the side, trapping the tall Vizard. "Now, Nemu!"

Immediately, she appeared from nowhere, sticking a syringe into Limbo's neck. His eyes widened in horror. Hisagi stood up, and Kira walked closer. Once the needle was empty, the kidou disappeared, and Limbo nearly fell forward but caught himself. He ran his hands through his hair in disbelief.

"Wha—what'd you do?" He stared up at Nemu as he shook.

She held up the empty syringe, "Truth Serum." Limbo gulped at the answer.

"Don't worry… We're not here to interrogate every little thing outta you. We only want to know one thing," Shuuhei spoke calmly, "Why are you here?"

Limbo gave a twisted smile.

* * *

"Who the hell thinks Limbo is evil?" Ichigo asked. He sat cross-legged in front of the shopkeeper who was sipping on some tea.

"He seems like a pretty shady character though, hmm?" Urahara grinned.

"Well… Maybe but you… but he's… dammit, what am I trying to say!" Ichigo face palmed at his lack of being able to communicate. "You're good at reading people, right? Surely you don't see it?"

The fan immediately came up, "Kurosaki… The truth serum was my idea. Despite whatever _dark_ past Limbo might have had, he seems to have overcome it. I think that he's as innocent as that smile of his. That's why I had Ms Kurotsuchi to use some truth serum, so I could have proof for—um... his accuser…"

"Ichigo shifted as Kisuke got quiet, "And who might that be?"

Urahara closed his fan with a snap, his eyes barely visible under his bucket hat, "Someone you haven't met yet, but is very eager to see you… Sato Michio."

"Um, who's he?" The substitute shinigami scratched his head as he tried to make sure that he didn't recognize the name. Nothing came to mind.

"He's very powerful but very confused right," Urahara sipped his tea.

* * *

"You wanna know why I'm here?" Limbo mockingly double-checked the question. He felt so cold but figured it was the serum working. "I don't want to be alone."

Tears could be seen rising up in his eyes as the serum squeezed it out of him.

"Kurosaki defeated his—his Hollow, "Limbo slammed his fist into the ground, "I want to too… Instead of relying on it…"

A hand touched either shoulder and Limbo looked up to see both Ichigo and Urahara. The two smiled as the shopkeeper spoke, "Don't worry Limbo, I gotta run a few errands, but then when I get back, we'll figure this out."

"Better to take care of this sooner than later I suppose," Urahara looked at the other three, "Let's go."

Limbo stood up as the other four left through the Sentei Gate. He wasn't sure whether he should smile or frown at what had just happened. "Ichigo… Did I do something wrong?"

The orange haired teen patted him on the back, "Nah, even though were a little rough about it, they're trying to prove that you didn't do anything to someone else."

"Hmm… Feels like I did something," He looked down at his bleeding knuckles. Ichigo couldn't help but notice Limbo shiver at the sight of his own blood. The bleeding Vizard clenched his fist, which didn't help the wound any.

They started to walk back to the others when Ichigo thought outloud, "At least it's not raining in here."

"Pssh, I like the rain," Limbo laughed.

There was a burst of blue light in the fake sky above that caught everyone's attention.

Two figures floated in the air, a male and female. They wore white shinigami outfits with black haori. The guy's longer hair was pulled back into one long ponytail while the girl's piercings reflected the light briefly.

"Hello, Kurosaki Ichigo," The girl grinned wickedly.


	7. Desert Rose Pt 1

DESERT ROSE PT 1

Tatsuki and Rukia unshield their eyes after the blue flash was gone to see two new figures floating above Ichigo and Limbo.

"I'm not getting good vibes from either of them," Tatsuki stared, preparing to run off again only to have her shoulder grabbed by Rukia.

"Don't worry," She smiled, "If he needs his zanpakuto, I'll take it to him."

Tatsuki only nodded.

* * *

Asako grinned wickedly for a moment but then her face went sour. She looked over at Naoya who just shrugged. Angrily, she yelled, "Where the hell is everyone!"

Almost as if on cue, several blue explosions erupted in the fake sky. Once the flashes were gone, everybody opened their eyes to see a small army's worth of shinigami dressed like the two—minus the haori. Immediately, everyone figured that they were more of the runaways. The group began to form a sort of circle around Ichigo and Limbo.

"Kurosaki, we're here to make you an offer..." Asako spoke, "Join us and leave the Gotei 13... They have you as a _substitute shinigami_? The hell is that anyway?" The two had floated down and started to walk past the other two. The crowd of renegades let them through, and they seemed to be heading towards Rukia, Tatsuki, and Eri. They stopped briefly, "You could be a _Captain_ with us."

The couple turned away once more to walk, and this time Ichigo took note of their haori—they were just a color reversal of the Gotei 13's. The girl's had a 1 and the guy's had a 2.

"Takahashi Asako, by the way, " She waved without looking back.

"Hayashi Naoya," He didn't even wave. "You should probably retrieve your zanpakuto, Limbo."

The Vizard chuckled while looking at all the renegade shinigami around him and Ichigo, "Ooh, peer pressure~ You might have convinced me." Looking to Ichigo, "Don't start without me, eh?"

Naoya touched Asako's shoulder and both vanished right before Limbo disappeared as well.

All three appeared in front of Rukia who jumped slightly.

Limbo stuck his hand out for his zanpakuto while smiling. Tatsuki could only hear his words from earlier but handed it to him anyway. Asako sat right next to Tatsuki on the rock and leaned back with her arms holding her head up. "I trust you'll play nice?" Limbo asked with his smile.

"Eh, I'll think about it..." Asako yawned. Rukia and Tatsuki didn't seem so sure.

"Good to know," Limbo winked. Naoya and the Vizard disappeared before there was another word.

Rukia kept her eye on Asako until she caught her staring, "Don't worry your pretty little head... I can't fight... Plus it's so much funner when the boys have their fun, am I right?" She laughed before closing her eyes.

"You say that like I should trust you," Rukia murmured.

* * *

The crowd closed the circle once the two returned, but then they began spreading out to make the circle bigger. Then they all pulled out a scroll with something written on it. As they began to chant and the scrolls began to glow, Ichigo looked around nervously.

"Hey, what're they doing!" The orange-haired teen demanded.

"Okay, we're ready, Captain Hayashi," one of them called out.

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled for attention.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki," Naoya spoke calmly, "It's going to be a barrier to keep out any unwanted guests, as well as to keep from drawing too much attention. Now, you and I are to spar, Kurosaki."

The substitute shinigami looked confused, "Spar? I thought you were trying to convince me to join?"

"Well I want to make sure you're worth it first... And besides I've had this obsession to test your strength against mine." Naoya grinned confidently, "So what'd you say?"

"I-" Ichigo started to speak only to be interrupted by Limbo.

"You have to prove yourself first, Mr. Hayashi," the black haired teen waved a finger, "If you can prove to me that you're worth it, then you can have a go at my pal here. Think of it as a warm up, eh?"

Naoya seemed to consider the proposal for a moment before he responded, "Deal."

"Fine, fine..." Kurosaki scratched his head. Considering their choices, he probably should go along with it. He jumped out of the circle and onto a nearby high rock to sit down for a good view of the fight. Limbo looked back and winked. _The hell is he planning_, Ichigo thought.

Suddenly, the scrolls exploded and a wall of blue light formed around the circle of renegades. Then it instantly became transparent. _He was right... I can't sense them at all_.

* * *

Miles away, Murakami Izo shifted in the chair in the abandoned mansion. He hung his head low as if trying to hide the grin across his face. "He enjoys fighting _way_ too much." The grin only widened.

* * *

Naoya held his sword's scabbard in one hand, resting his other hand on the hilt, just under the triangular guard. He was waiting for Limbo to make the first move. Limbo, however, held his sword in his left hand while rubbing his neck with his right. He seemed uncertain of something.

"Before we start, I gotta ask," Limbo looked around, "If I fire a Cero, will the barrier and everyone else be okay?"

"This type of barrier will absorb any type of attack and become stronger, so no worries. The barrier and people will be fine. It's only real limitation is its time limit, but that's like twenty-four hours so it's plenty and then some," Naoya explained.

"Alright, just checking..." Limbo held his hand out like a gun, "Bang."

Naoya easily dodged the Bala and was in front of Limbo instantly, his grip tightening on his zanpakuto. The renegade was sure that the Vizard would have to draw his sword to block the attack. Instead, Limbo just calmly—but swiftly—lowered his arm, still mimicking a gun. His index finger touched right between Naoya's eyes just as Limbo felt cold steel press lightly against his neck.

The two grinned wickedly.

"Hehe, you are pretty fast," The slender teen half-laughed.

"What else you expect?" Naoya responded as the two separated, taking a step back.

"Test one, pass." Limbo held up one finger. Then he chucked his zanpakuto behind him, running at his opponent while leaning back for a punch. Naoya just dropped his zanpakuto and stood still. Limbo's fist connected with the runaway's cheek, causing his head to sway a little, "Test two, pass."

Naoya spit blood then immediately punched back.

"Test three, pass." The slender Vizard spat out, along with some blood. "Now for the qualifying exam!"

The two flipped backwards, grabbing their zanpakutos along the way. Upon landing, they lunged at each other drawing their swords only to connect blades and send a shockwave. Both of them wore faces that showed just how much they loved this. The wave of energy surge before they separated.

Limbo stood there, holding his sword to his side—his scabbard was dropped nearby. As Naoya resheathed his sword, and Limbo looked puzzled. "Why're you putting it away? We just started."

"No, no... You misunderstand, friend. I'm not quitting. It's just my fighting style; I rely primarily on _draw-attacks_ due to my zanpakuto's abilities. I can show you what I mean with my shikai, if you want?" Naoya replied.

Limbo shook his head, "Nah, it's fine as long as you aren't quitting." He pointed his sword at the renegade, "'Tis just a warm-up after all. Save it for Ichigo."

"Think I'll need it, do ya?" Naoya snickered.

"Eh, maybe."

Limbo disappeared via Sonido and reappeared right in front of the long-haired shinigami with a flurry of blows that were either blocked or dodged by the runaway. The renegade's sword's sheath was surprisingly durable, withstanding all attacks, without so much as a scratch. Then out of nowhere, Naoya swung fast enough to throw off the other's attack, causing him to retreat.

Resheathing his sword, Limbo looked back with a smile, "Pass... Guess you can have your fight with the Strawberry now." The barrier dimmed as it disappeared.

* * *

"What's with that thing?" Rukia thought out loud, "When it's up I can't feel anything from inside it."

"That's a good thing, dontcha know? This way we don't attract any Hollows. We can have our own little private cage match~" Asako leaned forward, holding her chin up with her hands. "Looks like Hero Boy is about to step up... Hopefully, Naoya gets to have his fun now."

* * *

"I couldn't sense anything, so what exactly was the point?" Ichigo asked as he dropped in.

Limbo laughed as he patted the orange-haired teen on the shoulder, "Don't worry about him, man. He's not as good as you'd think." And with that, he used Sonido to leave the battlefield.

The barrier rose once again but Naoya sat cross-legged with his eyes closed as if he hadn't noticed. _He's not good, huh?_

"Do you know what my nickname was before I joined this group of renegades?" Naoya's eyes opened, "The Desert Rose."

The substitute shinigami grabbed Zangetsu as it unwrapped, "Clever."

"You think?" The runaway stood up, taking off his haori and throwing it to the side, "No bankai, agreed?"

"Whatever you say," Ichigo pointed Zangetsu at Naoya, "Just answer me one thing... What're you deserters after?"

After a brief pause, he answered, "I'll tell you after our little clash." Ichigo could feel his reiatsu rising and rising, but...

_**Are you kiddin' me? Pssh, he's got power, King... Just not enough.**_

_Guess that's what Limbo meant._

"Ready, Kurosaki?" He smirked.

Holding the sheathed sword out in front of him, Naoya spoke, "Scream, Sasayaki." There was a flash of red light that forced the orange-haired teen to look away for a second. When he looked back, Naoya's zanpakuto hovered just in front of his outstretched hand. The scabbard had enlarged, turning grey with five red gems forming a semi-circle on either side. The hilt and triangular tsuba seemed unchanged.

_His reiatsu went away?_

_**No, look closer.**_

_All of his reiatsu is in... his zanpakuto?_

Naoya lowered his hand and Sasayaki spun ninety degrees and floated over his head, stopping behind his back to spin another ninety degrees. "In case you're wondering, Sasayaki takes most—but not all—of my energy forcibly and stuffs it into itself. This allows me to keep up with even those who're technically more powerful while trading off durability. I may not be able to take much damage, sure... But now I am capable of beating you."

"Scary stuff, so who gets to attack first?" Ichigo asked.

"You're the champion here, by all means... come..." The runaway reached back to grab a hold of Sasayaki. Immediately, Ichigo charged, thinking that he needed to see what this zanpakuto could do first. "A blind charge?"

"Nope," Kurosaki grinned just before using shunpo to surprise his opponent.

Then Naoya drew his sword. The handle disconnected, leaving the guard and all still sheathed. Instead, a stream of red energy came out to form the rough shape of a blade on the handle. With a wave of it, he managed to block Ichigo's attack as well as cut off his sleeve. Instantly, the two separated.

_Alright, now I know what to expect._

Hayashi sheathed his blade of reiatsu with a snap of red light. The scabbard started drifting around the runaway as he stared down his opponent. "Ready?"

"Why do you keep-" Ichigo started before Naoya disappeared and reappeared, pulling out Sasayaki as it hovered above him for a vertical strike, causing the orange-haired shinigami to block before he was ready. The strength of the attack itself caused him to sink into the ground slightly. Jumping away with spin while resheathing his blade, Naoya immediately relaunched himself again before the other was ready. He continued this routine several times, gradually increasing its power with each draw.

"Getusga Tensho!" And with one slash, Ichigo managed to knock his attacker away. "Persistent much?"

Naoya laughed wickedly, "Come on, I'm only using a portion of my reiatsu. Sasayaki allows me to pull out some of my reiatsu at a time, and I can make the amount vary with each swing much more noticeably than most shinigami. The only really downside is my constant need to sheath it; however, I've gotten use to it so it's not a big deal anymore."

"I'm sorry, you must be confused... See, I meant that it was annoying, not that it was great or anything like that," Kurosaki chuckled.

"That so?"

The two lunged, blasts of reiatsu from either's abilities going off back and forth as the two hit. Luckily, neither were doing any real damage. It was fast becoming a "who has the flashier attack" contest rather than an actual fight.

* * *

"His shikai is pretty cool," Limbo sat, hugging his knees while watching the fight inside the barrier. He glanced over at his zanpakuto only to wince slightly, "Kinda sad that he gets to fight him..."

Then he spotted one of the many renegade shinigamis keeping the barrier up, running away from the group even though the barrier still stayed up. "Hello? Wonder where the runaway is running away to?"

* * *

"Getsuga-" Ichigo started only to be slammed into the ground by something heavy. Naoya stopped instantly, confused on what just happened and used shunpo to see what just hit his opponent.

"Limbo!" The renegade and the shinigami exclaimed at once. "How the hell did you get in!"

He sat up, rubbing his head, "Damn, that hurt!"

Looking to his circle of shinigami, Naoya spoke, "The hell happened! What're y'all doing?" They gave no response which seemed to aggrivate him more, "Did y'all cut off the barrier or something? Answer me!"

* * *

"Who's that?" Tatsuki asked as one of the runaway shinigami approached.

"Captain Takahashi, come quickly! Someone's tampered with the barrier!" He ran and waved until Asako jumped up to follow.

Sprinting off she yelled, "Back in a second, girls!"

She followed the underling all the way to the barrier while trying to remember his name. It was no use, she didn't have a clue. _At least he didn't use shunpo_, she thought to herself.

"So who tampered with this thing?" Asako spoke just before reaching the giant shield. As soon as they stopped, she met eyes with Naoya. The couple couldn't help but smile at the sight of each other, but then his face twisted horribly, like he had just seen a ghost.

"I did."

Naoya pounded the wall as a sword pierced through Asako's back and out her chest.

Inside the shield, the Desert Rose screamed.

Sliding his sword out of her, the figure walked up to where he was earlier, only this time, he didn't look like a runaway shinigami. His white outfit was somewhat different and now there were goggle-like mask remnants on his forehead and a solid black hole in his chest. He was inches from the barrier and Naoya's pounding intensified.

"Thought that'd get your attention," He grinned just before reaching through the shield, grabbing Naoya by his shirt, and pulling him out with a jerk. The runaway was helplessly thrown past Asako.

Upon seeing her, he crawled towards her and sat up, holding her in his arms. His zanpakuto returned to normal as the tears streamed down his face. "You smell... nice... like a rose in the desert..." Asako smiled as she started to vanish. Naoya's gripped tightened as if to hold her soul in place while he repeatedly yelled "no!" to God. _I need her! I love her! I love her!_

And then she disappeared.

"It's about time... Thought that bitch'd never die, you know?" The Arrancar laughed.

Naoya's whole body was trembling as he grasped his sword, "Do you know how I got the nickname, Desert Rose?"


	8. Desert Rose Pt 2

DESERT ROSE PT II

"Shinigami!" The group of Hollows lunged in unison at the man.

"Scream, Sasayaki."

A stream of red energy sliced every Hollow in the group in half with little effort. The long-haired shinigami turned to his only remaining enemy, an Adjuchas. "So what'd you say, Hollow? Are you gonna open a Garganta or do I need to find a much more _cooperative_ Hollow?" Naoya sheathed his zanpakuto.

The Adjuchas looked scared but calculative, "How do I know you won't kill me?"

Naoya's eyes narrowed, "Don't worry, I'm gonna kill you... but it'll be much worse if you don't help me get to the Human World." He wrapped his hand around Sasayaki to emphasize his point. The Adjuchas just stared in disbelief.

"You think that _I'll_ help _you_!" The Hollow laughed, pointing with a clawed finger, "You will _never_ leave Hueco Mundo! You're trapped shini—"

His finger was sliced off, then his whole hand, and finally his arm at the elbow. Sasayaki was returned to its sheath as the Adjuchas screamed in pain. Naoya stared coldly at the monster before it attacked with its one good arm.

Hayashi used shunpo to get out of reach only to find the Hollow charging up a Cero. The Desert Rose yelled, "I've been stuck here for _too long!_" Sasayaki's scabbard floated under his arm, releasing its own blast at the same time as the Cero. The two blasts engulfed each other, but the reiatsu blast overpowered the Cero. The impact of the blast knocked the Adjuchas back somewhat, bruising him considerably.

"How many of you do I need to kill before one of you gets the point," Naoya appeared, standing above the downed Hollow, his zanpakuto's energy tip inches from his throat.

Staring helplessly, the Adjuchas spoke, "Spare me, and I'll do as you ask..."

"That's a good boy," Naoya responded coldly.

* * *

"Sir, we have one missing," One shinigami reported to another, "It's Takahashi, sir.

"Oh no... She's the most helpless of all of them..." The superior seemed genuinely concerned, "You couldn't pick up _any_ traces of her reiatsu?"

"No, sir... She seemed to have disappeared completely," The shinigami didn't seem to want to suggest her demise directly. "We should get the rest of the students out of here before... something else happens..."

After a moment of silence, the other agreed and both disappeared.

On the other side of a nearby building, Asako hugged her knees as she wondered what to do next. She was on the verge of crying, but she couldn't decide what to cry about or even how... Should she be happy she ran away or sad that she was out on her own—after all, the only power at her disposal was nothing more than a trick, it wouldn't keep her safe for too long. Asako decided to just sit there for a while.

"Pull it together, Asako," She told herself, "This is what you wanted."

Then, just across from her, a garganta opened. _Shit!_

A Hollow stepped slowly out of it, it was missing half an arm and was covered in bruises. Behind him was what looked like a shinigami, but then Asako wondered if it was an Arrancar. Either way, he seemed to be pushing the wounded Hollow along. The powerless shinigami quickly ducked out of view.

"Okay shinigami... I brought you here..." She heard the Hollow speak. He sounded scared.

There was a long pause and then a cry of pain from the Hollow, "You should've done it the first time I asked."

Asako peeked out from her hiding spot to see the monster disintegrating and the shinigami's zanpakuto return to normal. Trying to get a better look at his face, she leaned out some more. He seemed to just be soaking in the sunshine. Still unable to see his face clearly, she leaned out even more only to fall over, making a lot of noise.

"Just come out already so I can know if you're friend or foe," He spoke calmly.

_Better make him think I'm dangerous, _Asako thought as she used her reiatsu trick to appear stronger and stepped out o face him. He only smiled, turning to look at her. The thought of her seeming too weak scared her, and so she raised her "reiatsu" even more. It didn't even phase him.

"Pretty reiatsu for someone in the Academy, dontcha think?" He chuckled, pointing to her attire.

Instantly, the man used shunpo, appearing right in front of her, "For someone with that much _power_, you sure seem unable to track such a simple maneuver."

Asako could see every little detail of this man's face... The more she stared at him, the more she felt like she was sinking... It felt strange...

"I ran away," She spat out as if it would save her.

Looking at her curiously, he asked, "Why?"

"I don't know..." Her head dropped. Asako tried to add something, anything but her mind wasn't working. Everything was a blur.

"Then someone as weak as you will need a bodyguard, won't they?" He gave a faint smile before turning away. "The name's Hayashi Naoya."

Instantly her head shot up, "The Desert Rose?" He only nodded. Hiding her face, Asako blushed a little. She didn't expect this. After a rather long awkward pause, she finally spoke, "Takahashi Asako."

"Well Asako, shall we?" Naoya motioned for the two to leave. Keeping her head down, Asako nodded. Much to her surprise, the renegade put his arm around her as they walked and held her tightly as if to hug her at any moment.

"So how'd you get the name _Desert Rose_?" Asako asked once she braved looking directly at him.

Using his free hand, Naoya pulled his hair out of his face before replying, "I don't know."

A frown spread across Asako's face, disappointed in the answer. Seeing this, the Desert Rose searched for another answer, "My favorite rumor about the name would have to be that _ no one has ever deserted as elogantly as I did_."

A content smile spread across Asako's face at the new answer. She let her head drop against him before she added, " I think it's 'cause you smell nice, like a rose in the desert."

* * *

Naoya's zanpakuto transformed in mid-lunge as he screamed, "Scream, Sasayaki!"

The Arrancar dodged the stream of red with a simple back-flip but was forced to dodge several other attacks as Naoya unleashed a never ending chain.

"Finally! At least _one_ of you can fight back!" He laughed. This caused Naoya to press the attack even more so. Each swipe increasing in power. The enraged shinigami was trying his hardest to swipe the face off the Arrancar, and he was ignoring Limbo and Ichigo as they yelled out for him to calm down.

"Would you two just shaddup!" Naoya yelled in between strikes. No longer able to dodge, the Arrancar was blocking the attacks with his sword.

* * *

"Ichigo," Limbo turned to the orange-haired teen with a very dark face, "We have to get out there..."

Almost immediately, Ichigo used his bankai. Releasing a volley of Getsuga Tenshos along with Limbo's Ceros, the two attempted to blast their way out.

"Aren't we just making it stronger?" Ichigo asked after unleashing a fairly powerful stroke.

"Yeah but everything has its limit. The idea is to overload it," The taller Vizard shot two Ceros at once. The red energy swirled up the shield before being sucked in. "Stupid shield, we don't have time for this!"

* * *

"Shouldn't we help or something?" Tatsuki was being held back by Rukia.

"Listen! Ichigo and Limbo are over there, we'd only get in the way," Kuchiki stressed.

Looking over at the still mediating Eri, "What about him? Can he help at all?"

Rukia shuttered at the idea of relying on Eri. He was a good person, just not a good fighter. "Um... Not until he's done mediating, otherwise he won't be strong enough..."

Eri didn't move a muscle.

* * *

"You know, I honestly didn't think you'd be half as good as you are," The Arrancar taunted, "Guess lugging around all that _deadweight_ of a girlfriend helped out, hmm?"

Naoya gritted his teeth and jumped away.

The Arrancar's grin widened and the runaway clenched his fist as he spoke, "I'm tired of that goddamn face!"

"I'm sorry, is it 'cause I _penetrated_ your love?"

Naoya snapped.

Sasayaki's huge sheath came up underneath his arm with its opening pointed at the Arrancar. A huge blast of pure reiatsu shot out, resembling a Cero but seemingly less controlled. He dodged it with a spin.

"Blasting such a huge chunk of energy at me, scary but foolish, dontcha think?" He grinned just before dodging a second blast, then a third. Coming from behind, the Arrancar sliced and missed just before a fourth blast barely missed him. Naoya grinned at the sight.

"Close, Naoya, but if you continue blasting away all of your energy then you won't be able to dodge much longer."

Jumping away, the renegade sheathed his sword and let go of the handle, letting the whole thing orbit around him for a moment. "You're right. I'm sorry, I was so anxious to see you panic—even if it was just for a second—that I let my emotions get the best of me. Despite how badly I want to kill you, savagely swinging won't bring victory any closer."

He grasped Sasayaki and slowly drew the sword as it glowed vividly, "Hanazakari!"

This time, stream of reiatsu solidified into an actual blade on the guardless handle. The sheath turned gray and dropped to the ground like it was made of lead. A bolt of red electricity shot across the blade.

"In its sheath, Sasayaki, stores all my energy, granting me some with each strike. Typically, anyone can be overpowered easily if I serve them raw power in chunks; however, Hanazakari is for those atypical kind of fights. It puts all my power into a solid blade, it needs no recharging like the usual attacks and is guaranteed to destroy anything it touches. While most people keep most of their energy locked inside for something like _endurance_, all of mine goes into my attack."

"Trading defense for more offense? Is that really wise?" The Arrancar chuckled.

Naoya's grip tightened as he brought his sword down, the tip barely touching the dirt. He wanted to lunge, but sense kept him grounded, "Tough talk, Hollow. Only one person has ever survived a single strike from this form."

"Ooh, scary stuff," The Arrancar mocked before continuing, "And another thing, even we Hollows have names, I'm Miedo Malcielo."

"Keep your name, I didn't plan on burying your remains," Naoya pounced, bringing his sword down. Miedo barely dodged the attack as it split apart the ground where he stood.

"That's not very nice," The Arrancar teased, "and here I was planning your whole funeral!" Miedo blasted forward instantly, pressing the attack on Naoya, forcing him further and further back. His attacks seemed more of a dance than anything else, like he was playing with him...

* * *

Limbo stopped blasting, "Hey!" Ichigo stopped too but still held his position to strike again. "Hollowfication... We have to get out, now!" The substitute shinigami nodded and the two Vizards held their hands over their face, ready to escape.

* * *

Seeing the explosion of reiatsu inside the barrier, Miedo backed off from Naoya, "Oh c'mon. It's too early for you two to join the fun." Then came the swing from the Desert Rose; however, the Arrancar still managed to dodge it like it was nothing and used Sonido to back off a second time. Holding up a hand, Miedo half laughed, "There's no need to rush, man. I'm just trying to see what's up with those two."

"Just die already!" Naoya lunged.

Almost as if on cue, the barrier shattered in an explosion of black energy. Both Ichigo and Limbo stood below, wearing their masks. Ichigo held Tensa Zangetsu at the ready while Limbo held his hand out, charging up another Cero Oscuras. An evil grin spread across Miedo's face.

Suddenly, the Arrancar's hand gripped Naoya's throat, "It's been real. It's been fun. But it hasn't been _real fun_." Limbo let his Cero die back down, worried he'd hurt both in the shot, but Ichigo shot up to rescue the runaway.

But he was too late to save the Desert Rose; his lifeless body fell. He tried to say something but nothing came out as the world around him disappeared in a blur.

"Goodnight Desert Ro—" Miedo's words were cut short as Tensa Zangetsu pierced right through him. Spitting up blood, he hunched over and grabbed Ichigo's shoulder. He started laughing hysterically, "_Joke's on you!_"

_What the hell is he talking about?_ Ichigo began to panic as he felt something surge through his body, shattering his mask.

There was a flash of light as the Arrancar's hand faded into the substitute shinigami's chest. His whole body started burning as Ichigo drifted into unconsciousness. His head dropped lifelessly. Limbo called out to him, taking off his own mask.

"How you feel?" Miedo asked, sliding off of the sword. Just as he started to retract his hand as well, Ichigo's hand grabbed his throat. He just chuckled, "_Please_, you don't even want to thank me?"

Raising his head, the teen spoke in a distorted voice, "_**Oh, I'm thankful. I just want ya to understand tha' I dun take orders.**_" The Arrancar smiled at his reflection in the other's black and gold eyes.

"Do whatever you please," Miedo shrugged.

"Ichigo" released the other Hollow and turned to face Limbo with a wicked grin.


	9. No Hero, No Villian

NO HERO, NO VILLIAN

All around Kai Eri the rain fell... upwards. Each drop un-soaked the sandy ground and flew towards the sky. Here and there, stone pillars rose and lowered slowly, as if breathing.

This was Eri's innerworld, and he took a moment to admire it.

Then came a whistle, and the shinigami turned to see a woman sitting on one of the shorter "breathing" pillars. "It's about time," She spoke before jumping off. She had red-orange hair to match her fox tail, black fox ears, and a silver, full-body suit that was skin tight and showed off her curves. As she closed in, Eri noticed that her eyes were covered with a silver bandage.

"Are you blind?" He immediately asked timidly.

"'_Are you blind?_' That's the first thing you say? No '_Hi, how're you?_' or even _'Who're you?'_ I am blind, but a _'hello_' would be nice," She scolded him, crossing her arms as she waited for the desired response.

"Um, hello?" He scratched his head. "You're my zanpakuto, right?"

"No," She stated bluntly.

"No?" Eri looked around awkwardly.

"Yes, no, but not no as in I'm not your zanpakuto. I am," She said fairly fast while poking Eri's forehead, "I meant no, I'm not going to help you. You're not going to learn my name, and you're not going to get your shikai."

"But you said you would!" He knocked her hand away.

"Eh, too bad," She put her hands on her hips.

"But that's not fair!" The shinigami stomped.

"Eh, life's a bitch, then you die," She stuck her tongue out.

Clenching his fist, Eri paced around for a minute or two before turning back to his zanpakuto, "Will you at least tell me why?" She considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Draw your weapon," She smiled just before two swords rose from the ground on either side of her. Reaching to his side, Eri found that he was no longer carrying his sword.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What kinda answer is that?" He threw his hands up, not wanting to fight.

"The only one you need to hear," She instantly lunged with both swords forward for a crossing, scissor-like strike. A sword materialized into Eri's hands, blocking the attack in the nick of time.

"Oh good! I don't think I could have stopped laughing if I would've killed you with such an obvious attack..."

"You know, you're rather bitchy," The shinigami's eyes drooped as he spoke. As if on cue, he was overpowered and thrown to the side with a final "insult" slash across the back. Twisting around, Eri swung with all his might only to have the blade stopped by one kick while another kick knocked him away. Upon crashing into the sand, the blue-haired teen jumped up and used the cloud of dirt to move in for a sneak attack. Instantly, he fell backwards to dodge what would have been a fatal swing. As the sand flew away because of the force of the swing, Eri got a good look at his zanpakuto's face, she seemed stern, serious. He could tell that she was trying to send some type of "message".

_She wants me to fight_.

His next blow threw her back considerably, much to her surprise.

"Alright, I hear you," Eri brought his sword up, ready to attack, "C'mon."

* * *

"Hey, I'm curious about something," Hollow Ichigo spoke without bothering to look at Miedo. His hand felt around Ichigo's face for a moment, "Wha' happened ta my mask?"

The Arrancar chuckled, "Think of it as a halfway Hollowification." Snapping his fingers caused a slick, silver chair to explode out of the ground. He dropped back on it like he was bored and about to watch TV. "You don't mind if I enjoy the show, do you?"

"Whatevs," was Hollow Ichigo's response as he returned his focus to Limbo who was overly tensed at the sight.

"Ichigo? Please tell me you're still in there..." Limbo thought out loud. The possessed teen cackled before disappearing for a horizontal sweep that was barely blocked in time. The two glared at each other, but it was obvious that Hollow Ichigo was the stronger as he slowly applied pressure to his sword, weakening Limbo bit by bit.

A grin widened as the substitute shinigami spoke, "Getsuga Ten—"

Instantly, a cero interrupted but was casually knocked to the side as if nothing. Hollow Ichigo then delivered a kick to the slender Vizard's stomach, sending him into a large rock. Once the dust settled, Limbo could be seen with his mask on standing there... just standing there...

"Whassamatter, buddy?" He taunted while twirling Tensa Zangetsu around, "Yer gonna hafta use a bit more than just Hollowification to beat me... or is tha' what yer worried about? Hurting this body? Pathetic..."

"C'mon then!" Limbo's yelled, "C'mon and beat the _pathetic_ outta me."

"Gladly!" The crazed shinigami lunged.

Just before the two would have clashed swords, Limbo unleashed a Cero Oscuras.

"Ya really like using those huh?" Ichigo dodged the blast easily. Behind him, Miedo had to jump away from his throne which was destroyed by the Cero. Hollow Ichigo laughed at the Arrancar's panic.

"Do try and control your opponent," Miedo warned.

"Oh shaddup ya big baby," Hollow Ichigo swished his bankai coat before lunging again at Limbo, this time with the two clashing together. The slender Vizard's mask left only one eye visible, and it was calm. "If ya don't break out tha' bankai, I'm gonna hafta start fightin' seriously!"

The two separated and Limbo unleashed a Los Nueve Aspectos, but Ichigo once again dodged it with little trouble. This time he followed up with a Getsuga Tensho that the Vizard barely dodged.

Another Cero Oscuras was shot at Miedo but this time was blocked by Hollow Ichigo. Glaring at the Arrancar, the possessed teen gritted his teeth, "Would ya just get the hell outta here!" Miedo started to retort but then Limbo's zanpakuto pierced his shoulder. "Goddammit! That's wha' I mean!" Hollow Ichigo grabbed the Arrancar's hair and yanked him off the blade with enough force to sling him across the training ground, using it to gain momentum for his own attack. The slash connected across Limbo's left shoulder, throwing him back somewhat.

The orange-haired teen laughed at the Arrancar as he struggled to stand up while bleeding severely, "Think somebody needs a bandaid!" Instantly, Limbo pounced at his friend/enemy only to be deflected.

Clenching the wound, Miedo mumbled angrily, "Don't laugh at me..."

* * *

"What're they doing?" Tatsuki thought out loud. Clenching her fist, she turned to Rukia, "We have to do something."

The petite shinigami grasped her zanpakuto, "I think you're right..." It was obvious that one or both of the Vizards were being manipulated, but the Arrancar seemed to be taking collateral damage. There was a good chance Rukia could reach and kill him in time, but she was still unsure.

"I'll try to—" Rukia's words were cut off.

* * *

Eri and his zanpakuto separated, neither with any serious wounds. The two had been fighting for what seemed to be hours. After a brief pause, they returned to a close quarters clash, and they continued to fend off each other's attacks.

"This is a waste of time!" Eri made a more powerful swing only to have it dodged and his stomach sliced. The move forced him to prop himself up with his sword. "My... friends need me..."

"But you're not getting the message, honey," The zanpakuto used one blade to raise his chin. He thought for several minutes but then shrugged. Unsatisfied with the answer, she kicked Eri to the ground. "Fighting isn't everything. It's only one part of the whole."

"Then what's the rest?" Eri lunged with a sweeping uppercut that sent sand flying everywhere. Before he prepared the next attack, one of the zanpakuto's swords pierced the shinigami's heart, propping him up against the ground. Then the other pierced right next to it. He dropped the sword he had been using.

"You tell me," She whispered in his ear.

"It doesn't hurt..." Eri grabbed both sword handles.

"Think it through yeah?" She turned to leave.

"Compassion," The words came out as if a reflex," I remember his words: '_Compassion is like a sword that pierces through your heart. Disregard it._' I also remember disagreeing with him. I said that one needs both _courage_ and _compassion_. I had forgotten my own words."

The zanpakuto slumped down against a nearby pillar that had stopped "breathing" as Eri rose up and pulled out both swords from his chest. The wounds closed up as the blades left his body as if they had never existed.

"Can you lead by example though?" The zanpakuto hugged her knees into her chest.

Taking a moment to consider her, Eri stabbed both swords into the ground and walked over to the fox-girl. He reached over to brush the hair out of her face which surprised the blind zanpakuto but she allowed the touch. He felt the silver bandage over her eyes.

"Lead? How can I lead anything? I still have something to take care of," Eri spoke softly before reaching up to his right eye.

* * *

"Bankai," Eri's body exploded with reiatsu as he stood up, "Smile, Gingitsune-Hime."

There was a huge flash, causing Rukia and Tatsuki to shield their eyes. _Did he just say 'bankai'?_ Rukia thought. Then the helpless shinigami became visible, his forearms and lower legs wrapped in silver bandages with another that wrapped around his neck and ran up the back of his head and over, covering his right eye. Sticking in the ground next to him was a large unbalanced crescent blade with its handle alone the spine.

"Did I miss anything?" He gave that weak smile of his to Rukia.

"Uh... How'd you get your bankai?" Rukai couldn't decide whether to be excited or skeptical, but then she remembered what was happening and reasoned that it was more important. She pointed over to the tree—they had also noticed his entrance, "Well the—"

"Stay here and protect Tatsuki," Eri immediately tensed at the sight for some reason and took off before Rukia could explain. "So he was right after all..." He murmured to himself.

"Eri!" Limbo took off his mask to show his smile as the shinigami closed in. Suddenly, Eri swung at the slender Vizard who barely dodged the first strike and barely blocked the second strike. "What the hell are you doing?"

Hollow Ichigo and the Arrancar just watched the two, half-confused, half-excited.

"Michio said you would try to attack Ichigo... I should've listened," He quickly overpowered Limbo and knocked him out of the air. Miedo took note of him mentioning Michio. Limbo hit the ground with a crash, sending up a cloud of dust.

Eri turned as if to check on Ichigo, making eye contact and instantly knew something was wrong. He then looked from "Ichigo" to the Arrancar, then back, and stated coldly, "You're not Ichigo."

"That's what I was about to tell you, ya idjit," Limbo's distorted voice called from below. The dust had drifted away enough that the Hollowified Vizard could be seen charging up a Cero Oscuras, "You're gonna have to knock him out. The Arrancar's mine."

Hollow Ichigo laughed out loud before pouncing on Eri, "I did hear _'bankai'_ didn't I?" The two clashed swords just as Limbo shot his Cero only to have it dodged; however, another Cero that had been secretly charging hit him directly and knocked him out of the air. Limbo moved in for the kill, but Miedo managed to block the attack.

As the two of them fell out of the air swapping attacks, Miedo grinned—despite all his wounds, "Michio is going to _kill_ you for all those _evil_ things you did, you know?"

"Shaddup," Limbo headbutted the Arrancar before having to dodge a retaliating swing.

"Oh, and just wait 'til Ichigo finds out," Miedo gazed at Hollow Ichigo as he easily dodged each of Eri's attacks, "I don't think he'll like you anymore..."

"I said shaddup!" The Vizard unleashed a volley of Ceros.

Hollow Ichigo knocked Eri to the side like it was nothing, "What're ya new to fightin' or somethin'? It's like you've never done this before." Turning to the Arrancar, "Hey, let's switch. This guy's a wuss—perfect for ya."

Clenching his fist, Miedo glared at the possessed teen, "I have a better idea." He used Sonido to appear in front of Ichigo and instantly, his hand faded into his chest, "How about I just take that body? Hmm?" Ichigo grabbed the Arrancar's arm only to watch his hand fade through.

Out of nowhere, Limbo appeared between the two and blasted them apart with two well placed Balas. The Arrancar fell back to the ground, but Eri caught Ichigo.

"Eri? Is that you? Limbo?" Ichigo raised up, scratching his head as he observed his surroundings. Then he remembered Miedo, "Where's the Arrancar? What'd he do to me?"

"Well, you kinda got a little moody, but it's cool now... We were actually just about to kill the Hollow," Limbo pointed to where Miedo crashed, charging up a Cero. Readying themselves, Ichigo and Eri prepared to strike as the group waited for the dust to clear. There was laughing and the familiar sound of a Garganta opening.

"NO!" Limbo shot his Cero but the blast didn't connect in time before the gate closed, "Dammit!" All of the previously frozen renegade shinigami fell limply to the ground.

"So all that for nothing?" Eri slumped as the trio floated down. With a flick of his wrist, Limbo got rid of his mask, his face was a cross between worry and remorse.

"Not a complete loss... Is that your zanpakuto, Eri?" Ichigo patted him on the back. It was obvious that he was trying to keep moral up. "Can't wait to see what your bankai looks like."

"Er... this is the bankai..." Eri looked away shyly before holding it up, "I can't seem to get her to revert back though..."

"There's no way you got your bankai just like that," The substitute shinigami was more surprised than skeptical. Limbo gave a weak laugh.

Then suddenly a new reiatsu appeared behind the three.

Ichigo sighed as he popped his neck, "How many more people are gonna pop in here just to fight?" The other two shared his thoughts as they all turned to see a rather tall man with maroon-ish dreadlocks pulled back.

Limbo froze instantly, "N-Not you..." Before anyone could say anything else, Limbo shot a Cero as he took off away from the stranger, using Sonido to cover even more distance. The giant simply slapped the blast away and flew off past the other two as he pursued the Vizard. Ichigo and Eri followed, neither quite able to catch up.

Seeing the chase from afar, Rukia began to run towards them when Ichigo called out, "Stay back, Rukia. Guard Tatsuki." The petite shinigami stopped out of frustration, crossing her arms, _I can do more than just protect Tatsuki, assholes_.

Then Tatsuki ran past her, despite Rukia's warnings.

Limbo had barely escaped outside before the pursuing shinigami swung his sword, slicing him across his uninjured shoulder. The slender teen flipped around to guard himself from further attacks when he was slammed into the building opposite of Urahara's shop.

The rain was still pouring.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Limbo asked desperately. The other replied with his sword only to be cut off at the last second by Tensa Zangetsu, forcing him to jump away. While Ichigo and the stranger had a stare down, Eri helped Limbo up.

"You must be Sato Michio," Ichigo asked, uncertain.

"I am," He stated bluntly, "And Limbo must die."


	10. Defy or Die

DEFY OR DIE

"Limbo must die."

The words wrapped around Limbo's brain and twisted painfully.

"Harsh much?" Ichigo snorted, glaring between his orange locks. He tried his best to ignore the never ending rain. Whatever was going on, the substitute shinigami couldn't justify killing either Michio or Limbo until he knew what was going on. So he pressed, "Why don't you explain?"

The tall shinigami twirled his zanpakuto upside down as he spoke, "We don't have the time for such luxuries, you're going to have to trust me Kurosaki."

"See that's the thing, I don't trust you," Ichigo instantly retorted. The remark seemed to surprise the other.

Looking from Ichigo to Eri, to Limbo, Michio spoke cool and calmly, "Glisten, Koganedoku."

His zanpakuto's tsuba shrank into nothing more than a small spike at the base of the sharp edge of the now –longer and golden blade. Before anyone could comment on his zanpakuto, the giant lunged with a wide horizontal swing. Ichigo stood his ground confidently with his sword ready to block when Michio suddenly yelled in mid-swing, "Kogane Kisu!" The moment the zanpakutos connected, Koganedoku exploded in gold reiatsu, blasting the teen away. Taking another step, the mysterious shinigami shunpoed toward Eri who swung with all his might only to be side stepped. Michio repeated "Kogane Kisu" as he sliced downward behind him at the ground under Eri, and again his blade exploded, throwing the second one away as well. Slicing through Limbo's Cero, Michio's hand wrapped around the slender Vizard's throat. Trying to work fast before his victim could release another cero, the giant thrusted his sword without warning.

"Is it really _so hard_ to just talk?" Ichigo grinned, one hand holding the tip of Michio's sword barely an inch from Limbo's heart, the other pressing Tensa Zangetsu firmly against the shinigami's throat. Despite the bleeding, it was obvious that the sword wasn't going anywhere.

Baffled at what had happened, Michio choked on his words, "I h-hadn't realized you were this s-strong…"

"Let him go," The eyes on the substitute shinigami warned Michio. Reluctantly, he let go and used Shunpo to retreat a few paces. As the tall shinigami went to work calculating a new strategy, Ichigo tried asking once more, "Will you just tell us already?"

"I'll tell you!" Limbo spat out of nowhere, causing Ichigo and Eri to give him a surprise look.

"Shaddup!" Michio roared as he pounced at the slender Vizard.

The orange-haired teen immediately jumped in the way, releasing a Getsuga Tensho; however, it was dodged as if Michio knew he would use it. Releasing a wicked, Ichigo found that dodged as well, right before a kick sent him barreling. Michio twisted around in time to block Eri's attack but flinched at the sheer force of the blow. Summoning all his strength, the giant managed to sling the other to the side and then slash again, narrowly missing Eri as he rolled out of the way.

"Go away!" Limbo's distorted voice yelled as he brought his zanpakuto down hard; Michio blocked it but was thrown off balance. Eyes glaring fiercely, Limbo started to yell again when he spotted Tatsuki from the corner of his eye.

Noticing the object of Limbo's sudden distraction, the tall shinigami stepped forward to regain his footing and strengthen his side of the clash before he yelled in a cold, angry voice, "What is she another one of your puppets?"

The words pierced through Tatsuki's mind.

"Did you use your zanpakuto on her, you fiend?" Michio hissed sharply before Ichigo intervened with a surprise Getsuga Tensho. The blast caused the three to separate, but the substitute shinigami didn't let up as he unleashed a flurry of swings at the constantly retreating shinigami.

Tatsuki's mind went every different direction as she tried to remember if Limbo ever used his zanpakuto around her—she didn't even realize that Rukia was leading her back a little wasy from the battle. Honestly, up until earlier, the tomboy hardly remembered the slender teen even touching his sword.

Removing his mask, Limbo called out, "Don't listen to him! The reason I kept trying to leave my zanpakuto, the reason I'm afraid of it, it's all 'cause I didn't want to use it… especially on you… Believe me."

This made Michio use his Kogane Kisu ability again to give him space from Ichigo's attacks. Puffing in disbelief, the giant propped his sword on his shoulder, "Oh please, you could've easily used your zanpakuto on her… I'm actually surprised you're not fighting with it now." He then looked at Eri and Ichigo before adding, "Hmm… I'll have to be careful not to overpower you two, but I really do need to finish this quickly."

Twirling his blade up this time, Michio breathed out, "Bankai." The sword's width instantly expanded—Ichigo guessed to a little wider than his cleaver-like shikai—while still retaining its katana shape and gold color; the tsuba had returned but was also freakishly large, giving the whole thing an almost cartoonish look. Pointing the huge sword at Limbo, the tall shinigami spoke, "Joushi Koganedoku."

Michio vanished, reappearing behind Ichigo to deliever a horizontal swing with his oversized sword. The orange-haired teen barely blocked in time and even then, the power of the blow dragged him around in a complete circle. Then Eri jumped in from nowhere but was easily slapped away.

Ichigo and Michio's blades grinded fiercely together as the two glared as hard as they could, but then the orange haired teen noticed the other glance at Eri. With lips curling into a snarl, the larger shinigami's grip tightened just before he threw Kurosaki away.

"You know what'd be great?" Michio spun his oversized katana around as he loomed over the downed and terrified Eri, "_A little bit of loyalty_!"

The gold blade dropped right for the shinigami's throat, but he managed to use Gingitsune-Hime as a shield to keep the other at bay. Struggling to hold the sword up, Eri yelled out, "Stop Sato! You don't understand! Limbo _isn't_ evil! He's not the one you're looking for!"

While letting out a long sigh, Michio relaxed a bit as he stared at Limbo. Not sure how to proceed, Limbo simply stared back. The other's stare faded into a glare, the longer he looked.

"I can't believe he got you too, Kai," MIchio growled as he brought Joushi Koganedoku down again, but this time, Ichigo's swing forced him away.

"I don't know what kind of history you two have," Ichigo spoke as he helped Eri up. There was a moment where the substitute shinigami gave the blue haired shinigami a curious look before continuing, "But I can tell you that none of us are under any kind of mind control or whatever you keep yapping about."

"Oh? But what kind of mind control would it be if you knew?" Michio barked through the rain. Ichigo and Eri looked to each other for an answer but neither had it. Stabbing his bankai into the ground, he added, "Neither of _you_ understand. Limbo is the real enemy here. He must d—"

His words were cut off by an enraged Tatsuki as she punched and kicked at the tall shinigami. None of the attacks even came close to hurting him, but it did annoy him. She was yelling, just yelling as she delivered blow after blow. Staring down at her, Michio didn't even flinch when suddenly an elbow knocked him across the back of the head. The impact nearly made him fall forward, but before he could react, Limbo had already lept away with Tatsuki.

Lightning flashed and with Sonido, the two were gone.

"Damn you!" Michio spat before Ichigo and Eri lunged to keep him at bay.

* * *

Tatsuki opened her eyes to find her and Limbo standing on one of the taller buildings, overlooking where Michio, Eri, and Ichigo were fighting.

Limbo looked like a kicked puppy.

"What the hell's going on?" Tatsuki demanded, poking Limbo's chest harshly, "And I don't want any of that secrets crap. I already had to deal with that with Ichigo."

Silently, the slender Vizard loosened then pulled off his necklace—a simple pink gem on a black string. Putting it in Tatsuki's hand, he curled her fingers over it before speaking, "I put you on this rooftop so that you can't reach me in time."

"What'd you mean?" Tatsuki gripped Limbo's shirt, "You're not going anywhere."

He pried her hand off, kissed it, then jumped backwards with a smile and vanished.

Tatsuki stared off at the rain as her mind went crazy. Looking from the battle below to Limbo's necklace, the tomboy cursed to herself before taking off to the rooftop exit. _The dumbass doesn't think I can make it to him in time. I'll show him._

Everyone stopped fighting briefly, all eyes turning when Limbo rejoined them.

"Where's Tatsuki?" Rukia asked, partially glad to actually be assisting but partially worried about the other too. Ichigo and Eri were wondering the same thing—neither one believed Michio, but they were curious.

"The tall building," Limbo gestured, "To keep her outta harm's way... though she's probably on her way now." He laughed and gave a faint smile.

"Limbo," Michio's tone was colder than ever, "Let's finish this, one on one. Leave everyone else out of it."

The slender teen shrugged, "They're in this by choice. I didn't ask them to fight, but I agree. One on one."

"Limbo, don't," Ichigo protested, taking his stance, "There's no need to jump in all suicidal. We're helping for a reason."

Laughing, Limbo twisted his zanpakuto absently, "I want to fight alone so that I can't be accused of using my powers wrongly. You'll be doing more harm helping than not... and besides, I don't _need_ your help."

This made Ichigo laugh but he backed off, walking past Limbo to the "sidelines". As he passed, the slender teen whispered, "See if you don't recognize his moves."

"Just don't die, you ass," Ichigo snickered as he approached Rukia and Eri, neither looked happy with just letting Limbo fight. Michio was the only one please with his decision.

"We're just gonna let him fight?" Eri looked concerned. His eye looked up to Ichigo as if to an older brother.

A huge grin widened across Michio's face as Limbo stood across from him, "You sure you don't wanna _make_ those three fight me instead. You do have the power." This bothered Kurosaki the most; he started to jump at the taunt, but Rukia held him back.

"No I don't," Limbo held his sword out horizontally with both hands. The entire blade began fading to a solid black. The rain coincidentally intensified as he spoke, "Defy, Jabbawokii."

* * *

Running down the stairs as fast as she could, Tatsuki stopped for a breath. She held up Limbo's necklace curiously. For some reason, the gem was warm and glowing but she didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. It felt like she should hurry.

So Tatsuki ran faster.

* * *

"I can't believe it's taken you this long," Michio smirked, Joushi Koganedoku propped on his shoulder. It was obvious that he was itching to attack. "It use to be all you would use."

Limbo shrugged at the remark.

Both of Limbo's hands were in solid black gloves. The tips of each finger were sharp and hooked slightly for a talon look while at the wrist, either glove formed into a tentacle that waved rhythmically in the air.

"Go ahead," Michio tapped his temple, "Read my mind."

"If you insist," Limbo raised a hand as the gloves' tentacles wrapped around his arms. A solid pink eye with a cat-like pupil blinked open in his palm and instantly focused on the giant. After a moment, the Vizard frowned, "I can't..."

Revealing a small pendant around his neck, Michio gave it a short twirl, "A nice little kido creation made just for your zanpakuto."

The fact that Limbo could read minds made Rukia a little uneasy, but then she noticed one of his palms turned towards her. She met eyes with Jabbawokii's eye and panicked to herself at the thought of Limbo misinterpreting her general wariness for distrust. Then she wondered just how deep his power could go.

"Neat trick," Limbo said to Michio before lowering his arm and turning to Rukia, "Don't fret. At anything beyond arms length, the best I can do are your outer-most thoughts."

"You get within his grasp though," Michio whistled, ready to strike, "And he can _see_ into your memories, your darkest thoughts, you worst nightmares. There's nothing he can't see, nothing he can't manipulate..."

"Which is why—" Limbo started.

"Which is why you hadn't used it yet," Ichigo interrupted, "Jeez, what's wrong with you? We get it already. Can't you tell that we trust you? Focus on your fight." His words reassured Limbo, but made Michio droop a bit.

The rain was starting to lighten up.

"We'll do it your way, Michio," Limbo turned to the giant. Both tentacles unwrapped and slid up from the bottom of his hands, stiffening into blades the moment he grasped them. The he turned and winked at Ichigo.

"_What was that_?" Rukia exclaimed, blushing as her thoughts got the best of her. It took Eri a minute to catch what she meant, but then his face turned red instantly. Eri kept his head down as Ichigo glowered at Rukia; she was a little embarrassed at her own outburst.

"He read my mind is all, ya perv," The substitute shinigami defended himself angrily before calming down to add, "He knows I'm not going to let Michio kill him... even if that means interrupting his fight."

Joushi Koganedoku was slammed into the ground to grab everyone's attention.

"You won't beat me. Shikai versus bankai? Do the math," Michio taunted as he raised his zanpakuto in a way to prove his point.

"Eh, this is all I need," Limbo smiled as he glanced down at Jabbawokii for assurance.

"Mugen Kogane Kisu," The overly pronounced words exhaled by the giant caused his sword to flicker with gold energy a few times before being engulfed in the reiatsu. With one last twirl, Michio positioned himself, "Then come."

"Here," Limbo spoke coldly from his crouched position right in front of the shocked Michio. No one saw the slender teen's movement until he was already there. With both swords reared back, he sliced upward in a criss-cross at the retreating opponent.

And with that Limbo severed the pendant from Michio's necklace.


End file.
